You Give Me Fever
by Khrystyne
Summary: A night at the Blue Moon changes his life . . . HPDM SLASH! Don’t like, don’t read.
1. Chapter 1

Title: You Give Me Fever  
Author: Khrystyne )  
Summary: A night at the Blue Moon changes his life . . . HP/DM SLASH!! Don't like, don't read.  
Rating: R - definitely not for the kiddies  
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot. And the song? Also not mine. "Fever" belongs to Ella Fitzgerald. Lovely little tune . . .  
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy  
Warnings: slash, adult situations and themes later in the story . . . any ideas on how to sneak these by the censor-nazis??  
Feedback: Yes, please! I love it like a fat kid loves cake.  
Beta: The wonderful, wonderful Winde. Thank you so much, m'dear! You're the best!  
Author's Notes: This little bunny popped into my head while I was watching the Lion King with my four-year-old cousin, during the "Circle of Life" song. I have no idea why, but it wouldn't go away until I wrote it. I'm so mental to start another fic when I've got five other stories to finish and an original I'm working on. Also, I've never been to a strip club, as I'm only 15 and a half, so I based the inside of this club off of the club in "Striptease" with Demi Moore. Draco's outfit was also based on Demi's outfit in the movie.  
  
**ONE MORE TIME!!!**  
THIS IS **SLASH**!!! That means a relationship between two males. If this makes you uncomfortable, click the "Back" button on your browser and LEAVE NOW!!!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The pounding music was barely audible, but seemed to reverberate through their beings as the two men Apparated away from any streetlights and began walking down the block to where the flashing lights could be seen.  
  
"I still can't believe I let you talk me into coming here with you," Harry Potter sighed as they entered the parking lot. They stopped at the entrance and Harry stared up at the sign to the strip club they were about to enter. His best friend Ron Weasley clapped a hand on his shoulder as he steered him towards the doors of the Blue Moon.  
  
"Yeah, we've established that. Get out your ID or they won't let us in," Ron instructed. They both pulled out their ID cards to show they were over 21. They just scraped by at 22 years of age.  
  
"What does Hermione think of you coming here?" Harry demanded, hoping that bringing up Ron's fiancée would shock him into rethinking this venture of his.  
  
"It was her idea," was the horribly depressing answer. "She says you need a guy."  
  
"Is the whole world against me?" Harry muttered.  
  
"No, mate, just your friends," Ron replied cheerfully. "Welcome to the Blue Moon, the only gay strip club in the area."  
  
"Oh, you'll never know how I feel," Harry told him wryly. Ron chuckled and led him to a table near the stage as a tall man with a long brown wig left the stage to lukewarm applause.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, sit tight and get ready, because our next dancer is the most sought-after man we have dancing for us! Please give a warm welcome for . . .the White Dragon!" shouted an out-of-sight announcer. Harry looked around him as he clapped half-heartedly; he and Ron seemed to be the only ones doing so. All the other men and the few women in the club were whistling and cheering as a figure slunk into the shadows at the back of the stage.  
  
"Mate, you gonna get out your money?" Rom hissed as the spectators around them squirmed in anticipation in their seats.  
  
"Do I have to?" Harry whispered in reply.  
  
"Don't be stingy!"  
  
"Don't be stupid!"  
  
Ron sighed in exasperation, but fell quiet as sultry music flooded the room. The lightly throbbing bass, snapping fingers, and low, flickering lights created a rather seductive environment, Harry decided, and he sat up a little straighter as the figure came forward into the single white spotlight shining onto the stage. Harry's breath caught in his throat as his eyes landed on the dancer.  
  
_"Never know how much I love you  
  
Never know how much I care  
  
When you put your arms around me  
  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear . . ."  
_  
The dancer was a lithe young blonde man, his hair loose and falling about his face, the silky strands caressing his skin. His mesmerizing silver- grey eyes were lined with black liquid eyeliner and lightly brushed with brown eye shadow, everything topped off with a dash of silver glitter. The combination of the eye makeup made this pale, beautiful young man seem very exotic, extremely desirable, and altogether unreachable. He was wearing a very tight little number: skintight black short-shorts that left little to the imagination, a white silk button-down dress shirt, black tie, and suit jacket. He had a black hat perched atop his head, cockily tilted, and he was barefoot. Harry couldn't take his eyes off him.  
  
_"You give me fever  
  
When you kiss me  
  
Fever when you hold me tight  
  
Fever! In the morning  
  
Fever all through the night . . ."  
_  
Harry stared at the dancer, his emerald eyes drinking up the sight. The dancer turned and locked eyes with Harry. He faltered in his steps, but made up for the misstep with a high kick and wrapping his leg around the pole at the front of the stage, sliding down to lay flat on his back on the floor, then grabbing the pole and pulling himself up. The dancer captured Harry's eyes again and they stared into each other's souls as the young man's sexy dance continued. He pulled his hat off and tossed it into Harry's lap, his platinum blonde locks now unrestrained.  
  
_"Sun lights up the daytime  
  
Moon lights up the night  
  
I light up when you call my name  
  
And you know I'm gonna treat you right . . ."  
_  
Harry glanced down at the hat now in his lap and fingered the black silk fabric of it. He looked up in time to see the young man bend backward into a painful-looking bridge shape. He kicked one leg, then the other, into the air and slowly split them so they were horizontal. Just as agonizingly slowly, the dancer tipped forward. His left leg landed first and stayed stationary as his right slid forward into a perfect split. Cheers and catcalls floated through the air as he swung his front leg behind him and flipped onto his stomach, slowly rolling his body up and giving Harry the perfect opportunity to study the young man's arse. He turned and again stared into Harry's eyes.  
  
_"You give me fever  
  
When you kiss me  
  
Fever when you hold me tight  
  
Fever! In the morning  
  
Fever all through the night . . ."  
_  
Slowly the tie became undone and the young dancer pulled it from his neck, looping it around the pole and using it to spin around the pole, sinking as he did so. Suddenly, he yanked himself up and ripped the tie from the pole, flinging it out into the audience, conveniently enough, directly at Harry's feet. Harry glanced down at it and bent over to pick it up, dragging his fingers over the black silk of the tie.  
  
_"Everybody's got the fever  
  
That is something you all know  
  
Fever isn't such a new thing  
  
Fever started long ago . . ."  
_  
The dancer made sure the pole was out of his way and flipped backward, landing on his hands, then his feet, before slipping down into a straddle split. (A/N: See below.) He rolled forward and up into a handstand and stayed there, perfectly balanced. The young man finally tipped over and landed on his back. He rolled up and spun twice, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. He slipped it from his shoulders and glanced towards his drooling spectators. Last moment, he decided to throw it in another direction . . . with the rest of his clothes, the silk shirt landed on Harry.  
  
_"Romeo loved Juliet  
  
Juliet, she felt the same  
  
When he put his arms around her  
  
He said, 'Julie, baby, you're my flame  
  
Thou givest fever  
  
When we kisseth  
  
Fever with thy flaming youth  
  
Fever! I'm a fire  
  
Fever, yea, I burn forsooth . . .' "  
_  
Harry pulled the shirt from his head to glue his eyes back onto the lean figure now performing another double back handspring. The vague thought _By the end of the dance, am I going to have his whole outfit in my lap?_ ran through his head, but he dismissed it immediately, deciding he didn't care whether he did or not, as the blonde dancer quickly spun around the pole, landing in a smooth split.  
  
_"Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
  
Had a very mad affair  
  
When her daddy tried to kill him  
  
She said, 'Daddy, no, don't you dare  
  
He gives me fever  
  
With his kisses  
  
Fever when he holds me tight  
  
Fever! I'm his missus  
  
Daddy, won't you treat him right?' "_  
  
Despite the fact he was in a gay strip club with his heterosexual best friend snoring lightly in the chair next to him, Harry found himself eagerly awaiting what the sexy blonde dancer - he refused to call him a stripper, although that was, in fact, what he was - would perform next. His musings were rewarded when the young man strode right up to the edge of the stage, right in front of Harry, and, emerald eyes locked with silver, sank into another straddle split, staring into the depths of Harry's soul for a few moments before rolling onto his back and kicking one leg up by his ear. Harry sucked in a breath at the sheer flexibility of the beautiful young man.  
  
_"Now you've listened to my story  
  
Here's the point that I have made  
  
Chicks were born to give you fever  
  
Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade  
  
They give you fever  
  
When you kiss them  
  
Fever, if you live, you learn  
  
Fever! Till you sizzle  
  
What a lovely way to burn . . ."  
_  
The dancer swiftly brought his leg back down and smoothly stood up, walking backwards a few steps, nearly half the length of the stage. With an amazing ability, he leapt forward and landed on his hands in a handstand, splitting his legs immediately and tipping forward. He flexed his foot as it hit the floor and pushed back to land on his back foot. He pushed off again and balanced, his legs scissoring in the air. Finally, he slid down to land in a split. After a moment, he brought his back leg to meet his front and rolled over his back into another handstand. He landed in a lunge and dove forward into a roll, leaping up at the end to cling to the pole. He spun around and sat on the floor. Gazing deeply into Harry's eyes once again, he walked purposefully backward as the song came to an end.  
  
_"What a lovely way to burn  
  
What a lovely way to burn  
  
What a lovely way to burn  
  
What a lovely way to burn . . ."  
_  
As the last notes approached, the lights dimmed and all that could be seen of the talented young dancer was a barely perceptible outline. When the song ended, the lights on the dancer were turned off completely and the tight black shorts were flying through the air towards Harry's table. The dancer's calculations seemed to be slightly off, as the impossibly small article of clothing came hurtling at Ron. Harry's Seeker instincts kicked in from his seven years of Quidditch at Hogwarts and his hand darted out to snatch the shorts inches from Ron's face. Ron awoke with a start to tumultuous cheers and applause.  
  
"What happened?" he asked sleepily, yawning. He looked over when Harry didn't answer and raised an eyebrow when he saw the blonde's outfit lying in Harry's lap. Harry's face burned red and he stood up, mumbling something about returning the clothing to the lithe dancer. There was something about him that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on . . .  
  
A/N from above: "The dancer . . . flipped backward, landing on his hands, then his feet, before slipping down into a straddle split." This, minus the straddle split, is called a back handspring for those of you that don't know. A double back handspring is rather self-explanatory. You just flip backwards and et cetera twice.  
  
A/N: So . . . what d'you think? I was planning on writing more but if this chapter sucks, tell me so and I'll probably keep writing, but I won't waste my time by posting here. If you like it, make me happy and leave a review! If you don't, please tell me why, but don't be mean. If you're planning to flame 'cause of one reason or another (i.e. you don't like the pairing the scenario, etc.), why the hell are you wasting your time? Go read something else!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.  
  
Author's Notes: squeak Oh, you're all so nice! Such a wonderful reception. Big kisses to everyone!!!  
  
To HoorayTheWeird: I still can't believe you reviewed the chapter!!! Thanks for all your help!!!  
  
To Isis-mystic: Thanks so much for your review! Isn't "Fever" awesome?!? I love it. Enjoy the chapter!!  
  
To June: Thanks for your encouragement and enjoy!!  
  
To NiimuraYume: Sorry it's taken a bit. Busy times in the life of me. ;-D Enjoy!!  
  
To lydd: I'd glad you liked the chapter! The gymnastics stuff is hard. And painful. Trust me. O.O Enjoy this chapter!!  
  
To xXxIce.PrincessxXx: squeals Ohh!!! You're so sweet!!! But don't stay up that late just to read my fic!! Go sleep!!! I really hope you enjoy this chapter!!  
  
To Jaded Winter: Hope this chapter satisfies your curiosity!!  
  
To Pixie Goddess1: AHHH!!! Oh, I so love you (why does it creep people out when you say that?? I say it all the time . . . O.o); you're so nice!!! Hope you like the chapter!!!  
  
To mwa!: I'm so glad you liked the first chapter! Hope this one satisfies (or adds to, if it'll keep you reading!) your curiosity!!!  
  
The chapter would suck if it wasn't for my wonderful beta HoorayTheWeird (Winde). I love ya, m'dear!!!!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The talented dancer desperately hoped his aim was still as accurate in the dark as it was with the lights. He skipped offstage before anyone saw he hadn't actually thrown off his shorts, but an extra pair held by a stagehand instead. He raked a hand through his hair and expelled a deep breath. He was always so nervous going up there and dancing for all the leering spectators, despite the fact he had been working at the Blue Moon for four years. He flashed a saucy grin at Derrick and Fabio, better known as The Diamond Duo, as they passed, heading to the stage for their dance. No one ever knew just how nervous and worried about going out on stage the hot young star always became.  
  
The White Dragon wasn't his real name, of course. No one here was ever announced using their real names. Some even used an alias offstage and on. This particular dancer's given name was Draco Malfoy. He was twenty-two years old and had been alone since he was seventeen. His parents had been killed in the war against the Dark Lord Voldemort when he was in his final year at school. He found out, with a sudden shock, his parents weren't as wealthy as they allowed everyone to think. They were deeply in debt, and Draco did his best to pay off all the bills while still trying to keep some to live on. It wasn't enough and soon everything was spent, but the bills kept coming. Draco was about to give up when he met Frankie.  
  
Frankie was cute. Not overly attractive, but he got a few stares and giggles as he walked along the street. He owned the Blue Moon. He and Draco went out a few times, coffee, lunch, casual get-togethers. Each time, he noticed Draco was more anxious and drawn. When Draco finally told him about his financial difficulties, Frankie gave him a job and enough money to pay off the bills (money that Draco had to exchange into wizarding money). Draco didn't exactly know what kind of work Frankie dealt in -- they never discussed it. So Draco was relatively . . . well, shocked when he walked into the club and saw a half-naked man grinding against a pole. It was too late by then, however. Draco had to work for him to pay off his debts. That was about a month before his eighteenth birthday. He'd been there ever since.  
  
Draco stalked into his dressing room and threw on a black silk robe. He flopped into the director's chair he had stationed in front of his mirror and stared at his reflection. He saw silver-grey eyes smothered in eye makeup, smooth, pale skin, and short, but not too, platinum blonde locks. He smirked. He looked good. He knew it. But looks like his attracted a lot of unwanted attention. Creeps, calling for him at all hours, waiting for him when he left the club, heading home for a good night's sleep. He frowned and thought back to his performance that night. Unbidden, the features of his reflection began to shift. Stylish blonde hair became unruly black locks. Pale skin tanned. Silver eyes turned into glittering emerald orbs, encircled with black spectacles. It was the man that had made him hesitate when Draco spotted him. He was breathtakingly stunning, and altogether not the type of man one usually saw at strip clubs. He was . . . different. And familiar. Draco felt like her knew him from somewhere. But where??  
  
A quiet knock at his dressing room drawer startled Draco back to reality. He looked up and saw a tall brunette leaning against the doorframe. It was another dancer, Eric, his stage name Tiger.  
  
"Hey, Eric," Draco greeted with a small smile. He'd always felt a sort of kinship with the other dancer. They'd both arrived at the club around the same time and had become quick friends. Eric was three and a half years older than Draco, with curly shoulder-length brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was several inches taller than Draco and slightly more built.  
  
"Hey, babe," Eric replied softly, coming into the room and sitting in one of the armchairs strewn about the room, the nearest to Draco. Eric had just arrived for his shift and hadn't yet changed, just applied his makeup. His blue eyes were accented with black eyeliner and dark eye shadow. There was bronze glitter brushed across his high cheekbones and his lips held a tint of pink, something the crowds found very pleasing.  
  
"Watched your performance tonight. You did really well."  
  
"Thanks," Draco answered, his smile melting away. He hated it when he was complimented on his dancing. He hated _dancing_. Period.  
  
"Sorry, I know you don't like that," Eric whispered.  
  
"Damn right."  
  
Eric decided to abruptly change the subject.  
  
"I saw you eyeing that gorgeous guy in the front table," he remarked, his eyes sparkling with barely suppressed mirth. Draco grinned, his eyes flicking back to the mirror where he'd seen the man's face instead of his own.  
  
"He was . . . he was something, all right," Draco conceded, a smile playing around his mouth.  
  
"Something? Honey, he couldn't take his eyes off you!" Eric laughed. Draco blushed. "And it seems you noticed him, too," Eric continued, his laughter dying.  
  
"He was different, Eric. Not like those other guys that come and start pouring saliva the moment we hit the stage," Draco told him, his voice taking on a dreamy tone. "And his eyes! Bloody hell, you could lose yourself in them . . ."  
  
Eric's smile faded. He stood up and quickly closed the door, flipping the lock. He turned back to Draco with a serious look gracing his painted features.  
  
"Drac, you _know_ you can't think like that," he reminded in a low voice. Draco sighed irritably. "Frankie'll have your head if he catches you."  
  
"I know, I know!" the blonde man snapped, standing up and beginning to pace around the room. "I just . . . I can't help it! I've never seen someone like . . . like _that_ before."  
  
"Do you not remember what happened the last time you had thoughts along these lines?" Eric asked him worriedly. Draco stopped pacing and fell into a chair across the room.  
  
"Of course I bloody remember. He sold me on the streets until I 'remembered my place'," Draco responded bitterly. "How can I bloody forget?"  
  
"I don't mean to bring up hard memories, you've got to know that," Eric pleaded, coming over to sit next to Draco. "I'm just looking out for you, sweetie. I don't want you to get in trouble like that again."  
  
Draco sighed, his voice laced with fatigue when he next spoke.  
  
"I know," he whispered, his face drawn. "I just want to have a normal life instead of one as a . . . a . . . prostitute or – or hooker or whatever the hell I am," he ended in a sigh. Eric gathered him into his arms in an embrace and held him for a few moments.  
  
"I'd better get going," he said when they parted. "Still have to get dressed and everything." Draco only nodded. "Don't worry. Everything will work itself out."  
  
"I hope so . . . for both our sakes," Draco replied. Eric gave him a brief smile and unlocked the door. As he stepped through the door, he turned to Draco.  
  
"Drac?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're an exotic dancer, that's what the hell you are," Eric informed the blonde with a grin. His only response was a paperback book thrown at him. He closed the door quickly to avoid being hit and opened it again, a cheeky grin on his face.  
  
"Later, babe!"  
  
"See ya, Eric. And good luck tonight!" Draco called. Eric waved his hand as he disappeared down the hall.  
  
Draco chuckled to himself as he began to change. Two o'clock and he was gone. He pulled off the skintight black shorts and slipped into some much more comfortable boxers and jeans. He had just removed most of his makeup – everything but the eyeliner, he liked that – and had slipped a pale blue button-up over his shoulders when he heard a loud crash in the hall. Draco turned and rushed towards the hallway and wrenched the door open. His shirt was still open, revealing a pale, muscular chest, and he was barefoot, as he had been all night. Had one of those psychopath fans he seemed to attract try to sneak backstage to see him again? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time. Perhaps he shouldn't have left his dressing room. Oh, well, too late.  
  
Draco screeched to a halt when he saw who was making all the commotion. It was Roscoe, one of the backstage security guards, and . . . Mr. Gorgeous from the show. Draco could only stare at him, his mouth hanging slightly open. He was even more breathtaking up close and in better light. Hold on . . . Draco knew him. And he remembered who he was. Merlin, it was Harry Bloody Potter! What was he doing in a strip club? And a gay one at that! Draco snapped himself out of his reverie and continued down the hall.  
  
"Roscoe, what's going on?" Draco demanded, hurrying up to the pair. The tall, shaven-headed security guard looked at him. Harry turned to look as well and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.  
  
"This guy here was trying to get to the dressing area to find you," the burly man explained. "I told him 'no way' without the proper credentials."  
  
"It's okay, Roscoe, he's with me," Draco told him quickly as the guard turned back to Harry with a look in his eye, plainly saying, 'I'm going to eat you as soon as he turns away'.  
  
"He's with you?" Roscoe asked, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Yeah, he's an old . . . friend of mine," Draco supplied, glancing back at his school-time archenemy. "Harry."  
  
"I see." Roscoe clearly didn't buy it, but he seemed ready to leave well enough alone. "I'm going to leave you two alone then."  
  
"Okay," Draco chirped cheerfully as the guard turned and walked down the hall and around the corner, away from Draco's dressing room. He willed the blush away threatening to creep up his cheeks when he felt Harry's eyes on him. "Follow me, Potter," he murmured. With a quick glance behind him to make sure he actually was following, Draco hurried back into his dressing room and closed the door. He took a deep breath before he turned around, jumping slightly when he saw the intense scrutiny he was under.  
  
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he burst out nervously. _Why am I nervous?! I'm never nervous when I'm talking to guys! Especially when it's Harry Potter!_ he thought furiously to himself.  
  
"_Me_? I could ask you the same thing!" Harry hissed, staring openmouthed at Draco. He saw Draco glance down at the costume in his hands. "Here, take this." Draco tossed the wrinkled costume into a nearby armchair. "A Malfoy at a gay strip club!" He laughed, and Draco conveniently ignored the little shiver that ran down his spine. "Wait until Ron and Hermione hear about this!"  
  
Draco's hand shot out and grasped Harry's wrist tightly.  
  
"No! You can't tell them!" he pleaded. "Please."  
  
Harry locked his eyes with Draco's for a moment before he nodded.  
  
"Fine . . . if you tell me what you're doing here."  
  
Draco bit his lip.  
  
"Fine," he repeated. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just as long as you don't tell Granger and Weasley about me here."  
  
"What happened to you after the war?" Harry whispered, crossing his arms. "After Voldemort was defeated, no one could find any trace of you."  
  
"My parents were killed. Everything I had believed in had fallen. I was totally and completely lost. I ran," Draco replied softly. "I came back home and discovered my parents were most definitely not as wealthy as they led everyone – including their own son – to think. They were so deeply in debt, I had no idea how I was going to pay all their bills off. After every last Galleon, Sickle, and Knut had been spent, the bills kept coming."  
  
"What did you do?" Harry asked as Draco paused.  
  
"I almost gave up. Then I met a Muggle, a guy named Frankie," Draco told him, slowly making his way to an armchair. "Despite the fact he wasn't a wizard, he was really nice and we ended up going out – that's a story for another day," he interjected sternly as Harry opened his mouth. "When he finally found out about all my financial difficulties, he gave me enough money to pay off the bills – I had to do some quick arithmetic to figure out how much Muggle money was needed – and he gave me a job at a club he owned. I thought I was going to be a bartender or a waiter or something. I had no idea I was going to be up there . . . _gyrating_ like that. Ever since, he's had a death grip on me. On everyone here."  
  
"When did you start working here?" Harry asked, peering at Draco closely.  
  
"A month before I turned eighteen," Draco confessed. Harry was astonished.  
  
"You've been here for four years?!"  
  
Draco thought a moment.  
  
"Yeah, I guess it's been about that," he responded.  
  
"Why didn't you get a job at the Ministry? Or at Hogwarts?" Harry inquired curiously. "We lost a lot of teachers in the war."  
  
"Honestly, I wanted nothing to do with magic after everything went down," Draco answered, closing his eyes. "And when I _did_, Frankie refused to let me go."  
  
"This Frankie sounds horrible," Harry commented. Draco chuckled  
  
"Good to see you haven't smartened up since graduation, Potter!"  
  
"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry muttered, his face reddening. Draco sighed.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered. "You'd think after everything that's happened to me, _I'd_ be the one to smarten up."  
  
"It's not your fault, whatever it is you've had to go through," Harry told him, leaning closer.  
  
"You'd be surprised," Draco murmured, more to himself than Harry. Harry frowned. What was that supposed to mean? He sighed and glanced at his watch. It read "2:07 – HURRY UP".  
  
"Uhh . . . okay. Well, I'd better go. Ron's waiting for me outside," Harry remarked. Draco's head shot up and he stared at Harry with worry in his eyes.  
  
"Weasley was here tonight?!" he demanded, a note of panic creeping into his voice.  
  
"Yeah, but he fell asleep almost as soon as your routine started," Harry reassured him. Draco visibly relaxed.  
  
"Not one for gay strippers, Weasley?" he asked, laughing. Harry joined him.  
  
"If you remember Ron correctly, he's straight as a broomstick," Harry added, raking a hand through his hair. Draco grinned.  
  
"He and Granger still together?" he questioned, eager for any information about his world.  
  
"Yeah. Engaged, actually," Harry informed him, a little surprised that Draco was genuinely interested.  
  
"Oh, that's great. Good for them," Draco replied. He squirmed uncomfortably, knowing his next question was not one he asked often. "Uhh . . . Potter . . .d'you – d'you think you could . . . help me . . . out of this situation I've gotten myself into?" The words came out in a rush. Harry grinned at the flustered sight of the usually smooth young man.  
  
"Of course."  
  
Draco looked up at him, startled and a bit shocked Harry had agreed so readily.  
  
"Really?!"  
  
"Yes, you prat, really!" Harry replied, laughing. Draco grinned again.  
  
"Great! Uhh . . . " When?!  
  
"I'll send you an owl tomorrow and we'll figure out when the best time for you to come is," Harry supplied.  
  
"Come . . . where?"  
  
"My apartment."  
  
"Ah. Of course." For some reason, the thought of going to Harry's apartment made him rather nervous. He quelled the feelings as they both stood. "Well . . . thank you."  
  
Harry shrugged.  
  
"Don't worry about it," was the nonchalant reply. He turned and reached for the door. "I'll talk to you soon."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Harry glanced back at Draco before he left and smiled.  
  
"Malfoy?"  
  
"What, Potter?"  
  
"Thanks for the show." And with that, he left, Draco standing in the middle of the room, stunned. After a moment, he sighed, a smile playing on his face, and quickly buttoned up his shirt, then pulled on a pair of sneakers. He left his balled-up costume lying in a heap in the armchair. He hastily replaced his makeup into his leather bag and threw it over his shoulder.  
  
"I've got to get the hell out of here," Draco muttered to himself. He twisted the doorknob and found himself face-to-face with Frankie.  
  
"Where d'you think you're going, Dragon?" Frankie asked with a leer.  
  
"Home. It's two. My shift's over," Draco reminded him.  
  
"Not tonight. Marco was arrested earlier for hooking and you and Eric are taking his spot until I can find someone else to fill it," Frankie told him, turning him around and pushing him back into the dressing room. "Get changed; you're on in an hour."  
  
With a squeeze of Draco's arse, he turned and slammed the door shut. Draco stared at the door for a moment before he hurled his bag into one of the chairs.  
  
"Damn it!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.

Author's Notes: Oh, I love you all!!!

To HPDM-Slash-Rocks: Thanks for your review! Enjoy the chapter!

To ajheetractor: I'm so glad you like the fic so far! Hope you like this chapter as much as the first two!

To venilia: Flapjack? O.o Lordy, that's something I'll never get to . . . A straddle split is like a regular split, but instead of one leg sliding to the front and the other to the back, both legs slide out to the side (also something I'll never accomplish). Sorry about the cliché-y/unlikeliness. I'm trying for a fic that's different and here I am, being cliché-y . . . {dramatic sigh} Hopefully, the fic will get less cliché-y as it goes. I was listening to "Fever" and just making the thing up as the song went. I wish I could do those things, too. I'm working on it! If you're double-joined that much, you could probably manage to flip over like our Draco does. Just don't get hurt; it's really not fun! Go to a gym or something and have someone help. Rambling's okay; I ramble all the time. Why haven't you slept properly and here's a better question: why aren't you sleeping now instead of reading this fic?!? Anyway, enjoy!!

To Isis-mystic: Glad you enjoyed it! You think Frankie's a bastard?! I wrote him like I wanted to then!! Yay! {jumps up and down and does a funny little dance} Of course Drac's gotta be down to earth. Who wouldn't be after being put through all he has? Enjoy the next chapter!!

To grace: Squeee!!!! You're so nice!! Thank you sooooooo much for the wonderful review. Hope this chapter's as good as the other's!!

To Charisma Black: Don't worry about not reviewing a chapter!! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to send me a little note. Reviews completely make my days. Enjoy the chapter!!

To Noename: {runs and hides under my desk} Here, take it!! {pushes chapter at Noename and scampers back under the desk} You're soooooooooo sweet!! Thank you soo much for the fabulous reviews. I can't believe you added my fic under your favorites after _only one chapter_!!! {squeals} Hope you like this chapter as much as the others!!

To Miss Lesley: Thanks so much for your review! Lots of questions and comments; I like. The "stripped-wizard Draco being found by successful Harry" has been done so many times. I had to do something different (I hope it's different, anyway). And as my teachers say, "There's no such thing as a dumb/stupid question." So here are as many answers as I can give without spoiling future chapters. 1. No, Draco was never convicted of being a Death Eater. This chapter clears up the reason why. 2. Draco's wand? {looks around nervously} This answer lies in a future chapter . . . (I've now turned into Trelawney) A very-soon-to-be-written chapter. 3. Draco isn't wanted by the Ministry for any crimes. He fought on Dumbledore's side in the war against Voldemort. Again, in a future chapter, more will be revealed about this. 4. Most of his friends were . . . shall we say, incapacitated in the war. Again, a future chapter. 5. About Draco's hate: He learns something very important about his parents nearing the end of the war. I can't explain it here (spoilers, you see), but there will be flashbacks and such in later chapters. His realization will also explain your question about his profession. 6. Ahh, again Draco's wand . . . 7. After the war ended and our favorite Dark Lord was killed, Harry and that side searched the surrounding areas where the war was held and when they found no sign of Draco, they assumed he had been killed and his remains so obliterated there wouldn't be anything left of his to identify. Kind of gruesome, but so was the war. You've also got to realize that it was Harry and his friends looking for Draco. Can you imagine them searching any more than they need to find a guy that they've hated for seven years?

To kt: Ain't the song great?! Glad you like the story! Enjoy!

To Pixie Goddess1: Lol, you're so nice! {seriously} Do the pins and needles hurt much? I've kept you guys waiting a little more than I wanted. Well, I'm happy to prove you wrong on both accounts!! I've never been able to write a HP/DM single-shot fic. I'm an overachiever. O.O DOUBLE-FUDGE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE ICE CREAM!! {drools} I love that stuff . . . O.o What on earth is Alizee?!?

Another Author's Note: This ("###") will now signal time/place change as has decided not to allow the little squiggly lines. Also, these ("{...}") will now signal crazy little moves or whatever by me as has _also_ decided not to allow astericks. grumbles

Chapter 3

Harry sighed as he left the pulsing beat of the music behind and stepped into the cool night air. He glanced around and saw Ron leaning against a nearby telephone pole. He headed over to meet his friend. Ron looked up and grinned, pushing himself off the pole.

"Well, hello, Romeo," he greeted with a smirk. Harry was caught completely by surprise at the fact Ron knew about the famous (although fiction) Muggle lover.

"Who?" was all he could come up with as a reply.

"Romeo. Of Romeo and Juliet?"

"When did you ever read Shakespeare?"

Now it was Ron's turn to act clueless.

"Who?"

"The Muggle playwright that thought up Romeo and Juliet," Harry responded. Ron laughed as they left the parking lot and walked down the street.

"Thought up? Harry, what are you talking about?" he asked, still chuckling. "Romeo was a wizard in the thirteenth century. He fell in love with another witch, Juliet, but she . . ."

"Was from a rival family," Harry finished, rubbing his head. "Oh, I give up trying to figure out who's a wizard and who's not."

"Yeah, it's so hard," Ron teased as they slowed to a halt three blocks from the club, looking around to be sure they were out of the reach of any lamplights. Harry made a face at Ron as they both Disapparated.

"I _knew_ magic was real!" whispered a little girl excitedly as she watched the disappearance of the two men from her bedroom window.

###

Hermione was dozing lightly on the couch when Harry and Ron Apparated into the apartment. Ron's face softened as he walked over and knelt down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She sleepily opened on eye and smiled at him.

"Hi," she murmured groggily, sitting up. She perked up when she spotted Harry sitting in a nearby rocking chair. "Oh! So . . . how was it?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward.

"Harry met a guy," Ron told her before Harry could open his mouth.

"Oooh, you did?" she squealed. "Tell me about him! What's his name?"

"His name's . . ." Harry fell silent as he remembered the promise he'd made Draco. "Well, he's . . . You know, I'd rather wait until I know him better before I tell you guys about him," he lied lamely. Hermione's face fell.

"You can't even tell us a little bit about him?" she wheedled. Harry thought a moment before he broke out in a wide grin.

"He's a bloody brilliant dancer!" he called as he skipped to his room.

###

Draco had finally stumbled into his apartment at six-thirty in the morning, bleary-eyed and dying for a few hours sleep before he had to go back to the damned club he worked at that night. He slept until nearly two o'clock, when an insistent tapping on his window woke him up. He cracked an eye and saw a snowy white owl waiting a bit impatiently outside, an envelope attached to its leg. He groaned and reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. He opened the window and stepped back as the owl fluttered in, sticking its leg out and looking at Draco expectantly. He took the letter and looked at the bird. It stared unblinkingly back. Draco sighed and proceeded to ignore it, choosing instead to open the letter.

_Malfoy,  
__If you're free this afternoon (or you have some time before you have to go to work), Apparate to my place whenever you can. I'll be here and we can talk about your problem. And don't worry, I can make sure Ron and Hermione will be gone from probably six p.m. on.  
__Harry  
__P.S. Sorry, I forgot. I live at 34 Russell Street, flat 4D._

"Trust Potter to forget the information that's most important," Draco sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and decided to go immediately at six o'clock. Well, after he took a shower and dressed anyway.

While he was dressing later, he found himself closely examining whatever he picked up, tossing it aside after a moment. {_Why am I being so picky with my clothes?} _he asked himself. {_It's not like I'm getting dressed for a date or anything.} _He finally decided on a loose, dark blue sweater and jeans. He raked a comb through his hair and dried it, heading for the door. At the last moment, he wheeled around and hurried into his bathroom. He did so love his eyeliner.

At long last, he was ready, and he Apparated to the hallway in front of Harry's apartment. The door to 4D was just opening and Draco dove behind a plastic potted plant to avoid being seen. A tall redhead and a pretty brunette were being pushed out the door. Draco peered between two overly bright green leaves and gaped as he got his first glimpse of his old torture victims for the first time in five years.

"Harry, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Hermione asked.

"I'm positive," Harry reassured them. "You two need some time alone; soon we'll be heading back to Hogwarts and as Head of Gryffindor House, Hermione, you'll be pretty busy, handling all those homesick first-years . . ."

He let his voice trail off and hid a grin as Ron's face drained of all color.

"Harry's right, Hermione," Ron agreed fervently. "Come on! Harry, we'll be back later this evening!" With that, he shepherded Hermione down the hall and out of sight. Draco was grinning as he emerged from behind the plant.

"Quick thinking, Potter," he congratulated. Harry grinned.

"Thanks. Come on in."

Draco followed Harry into the cozy apartment, glancing around as he did so. It appeared to be a large apartment; he could see three doors down a hallway, leading to the bedrooms and bathroom, he assumed. They were standing in the living area at the moment, with a small counter separating the carpeted section of the room from the kitchenette.

"Nice place," Draco commented, standing uneasily just inside the front door. Harry looked at him.

"Thanks," he replied. He gestured to the couch as he sat in a plush blue armchair. "Have a seat."

When Draco was comfortable on a matching couch, Harry crossed his arms and looked at him.

"Now, all we have to do is figure out how to get you out of this guy's club . . . for good," Harry remarked.

"So . . . we'll probably be here for a while," Draco added helplessly, placing his head in his hands. Harry's brow creased and he moved onto the couch, tentatively placing a hand on the distressed blonde's shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll figure something out," Harry reassured him. "I don't care if I have to modify his memory a bit, I'm not letting you stay at that place."

Draco smiled tiredly at him.

"Thanks," he whispered. Harry smiled back.

"– my earring and – Harry?!"

The two men on the couch whirled around to stare at a shocked-looking Hermione and Ron.

"And Malfoy!" Ron growled, whipping his wand out. Harry leapt over the back of the couch and placed himself between Draco and Ron.

"What the bloody hell d'you think you're doing?" Harry demanded.

"Well, I was planning on cursing this arsehole from here to hell and back!"

"Harry, have you forgotten how he treated us all seven years we were at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked evenly, glaring daggers at Draco. Draco looked back at her unflinchingly.

"He's changed, Ron, Hermione," Harry insisted, taking a step forward. "He's not the same person he was before."

"Why are you defending him?" Ron cried.

"I told you, he's different!" Harry shouted back. No one noticed Draco slowly getting to his feet.

"Harry . . . is Malfoy the guy you met last night?" Hermione interrupted, placing a hand on Ron's arm.

"Well . . . you see . . . I can't really say without breaking a promise," Harry replied shiftily. Draco stepped around the couch and stood next to Harry, glancing at him curiously.

"Potter, forget your promise; I don't want your friends to be angry with you because of me," Draco told him quietly.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked him in a tone of voice just as low. Draco nodded and looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Listen, I know you two hate me for everything I put you through at school and honestly, I don't blame you," Draco began. "I'd feel the same way. But I have been through . . . horrors that no one should have to go through and I'm here today asking for your help."

"Why should we?" Ron demanded angrily.

"Because . . . I've no one else to turn to," Draco replied. "I've been almost completely cut off from the wizarding community for almost five years, at first by choice, then by force. I want to come back, but I need your help to do so."

"Well, forget it! There's no way I'm helping the likes of you!" Ron snarled. Hermione looked at Draco, a calculating look on her face.

"What do you need our help with?" she asked.

"Hermione!"

"Shush, Ron."

Draco sighed.

"It's quite a long story," he confessed.

"We have time."

"All right, then. I'm a dancer at the Blue Moon. I go by the name The White Dragon. Four years ago . . ."

He told them everything about how he came to work at the Blue Moon, leaving out a few details he didn't want anyone to know. When he was finished, Harry and Hermione were looking at him with sympathy shining in their eyes and Ron was still glaring at him.

"So . . . what do you say? Will you help me?" Draco asked nervously, twisting his hands as he looking from Ron to Hermione.

"Of course," she answered instantly. "No one, no matter how awful they are, should have to go through that."

Draco, Harry, and Hermione looked expectantly at Ron.

"Fine. I'll help, too," he sighed. "But that doesn't mean I don't still hate you!"

"I can work with that, Weasley," Draco told him, grinning. His smile fell as he glanced at his watch. "Uh, I've actually got to leave now. Work, you know."

"Right. Well, we'll try to figure out what to do and we'll owl you," Hermione said. Draco gave her and Ron a brief smile as they passed into one of the bedrooms. He glanced back at Harry and caught his eye. They stared at each other for a moment before Draco left. Harry sighed and turned around, following his friends into their bedroom. Hermione was digging around her jewelry box while Ron lounged on their bed.

"What are you guys doing back here?" Harry asked. "I thought you were going out."

"Hermione only put on one earring," Ron explained shortly, refusing to look at him. Harry groaned.

"Ron, why are you so angry with me?" Harry demanded.

"Because you brought Malfoy – _Malfoy!_ Of all people! – into our home!" Ron shouted back.

"Weren't you listening to a thing he said? He needs our help!" Harry pleaded. Neither man noticed Hermione quietly slipping out of the room.

"Why can't he get one of his Death Eater friends to help him?"

"_Because he's not a bloody Death Eater, Ron!"_

"Do you know that for a fact?" Ron inquired, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes!" Harry yelled, throwing his hands into the air.

"How?"

"Because I watched him dance quite closely last night!" Harry shouted. Ron looked at him in a sort of stunned silence.

"Bloody hell . . ." Ron said faintly.

"What?" Harry snapped. All of a sudden he was feeling a bit peevish.

"You fancy Malfoy," Ron whispered. Harry felt as if he'd been doused with cold water.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" he asked evenly.

"You do! You fancy Malfoy!"

"You're being stupid, Ron." Harry turned and stalked out of the room. Ron followed him.

"I'm not! I saw the way he looked at you and you looked at him and you fancy him!"

"Who fancies who?" Hermione asked. She'd heard snatches of their argument and when she heard the word "fancy" float into the living room, she couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"Harry fancies Malfoy!" Ron cried, pointing and looking scandalized. Hermione looked at Harry with growing interest on her face.

"Harry fancies Malfoy?" she asked.

"No, Harry does not fancy Malfoy!" Harry cried.

"Why not? He fancied you at school," Hermione commented. She was met with a shocked silence. "What? He did."

"How do you know?" Harry asked, trying and failing to hide the interest in his voice. Ron made a strangled sort of noise in his throat. Hermione shrugged.

"The way he looked when you two fought," she told him. "The grins he got on his face, his eyes totally lit up, and when you walked away after either you or Ron completely blew up at him, he couldn't stop staring at you. Maybe he still fancies you."

Harry seemed to be pondering this as Ron's face grew steadily more enraged.

"You knew this and you never said anything to us?" he shouted, his face reddening.

"Do not raise your voice at me, Ronald," she advised him coolly. "And I didn't tell you because I knew you would react like this."

"Well, honestly, can you blame him?" Harry asked weakly, sitting in the same armchair as before. Hermione smiled sympathetically at him.

"Come on, Ron," she said then, turning to the redhead. "I've got my other earring." With that, she took hold of his shirt and pulled him from the apartment. Harry sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at his watch and saw it read seven o'clock.

"I need some sleep," he mumbled to himself. He slowly made his way into his bedroom and threw himself down on his bed. After a few moments, he found sleep just out of his reach. His mind was plagued with thoughts of his best friend shouting at him and thoughts of Draco's eyes locking with his. He rolled over and groaned into his pillow.

He was able to get about three hours of restless sleep, and he felt as awful when he woke up as he did when he fell asleep. His mind was just as full and, even though he knew Ron would probably pop a vein when he found out where Harry was, he decided to go back to the Blue Moon. He quickly pulled on some clothes, dressing in a dark green tee shirt and dark blue jeans. He snatched up some parchment and a self-inking quill as he entered the kitchenette, scribbling a short note to Ron and Hermione for whenever they returned home. "Gone out, back later." It would drive Hermione mad, he knew, but he really didn't feel like explaining where he was going. He Apparated to the same spot he and Ron had the night before and ran down the street to the club. He flashed his ID card to the guard at the entrance and bypassed the main area of the club completely; instead, he hurried straight to the dressing room area. He was in luck. Draco was standing in the hallway, chatting with the guard, Roscoe. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Harry.

"Po—Harry!" the blonde cried, covering his mistake as Roscoe still thought Harry and Draco had been school-time friends. Harry approached the duo cautiously. The sheer girth of the muscular guard made him slightly nervous.

"Hey . . . Draco," he greeted with a grin to the guard. "Uh, can I talk to you for a moment? Privately?"

Draco looked at him curiously for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, sure." He turned to the guard and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to you later. Tell Jenna I said hello!"

"Don't worry; I will!" With a wave and a glare at Harry, the guard disappeared down the hall. Draco grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him into his dressing room.

"Jenna?" Harry whispered as the blonde closed the door.

"Roscoe's daughter. The most adorable three-year-old I've ever seen," Draco responded by way of explanation. Harry nodded, as he surreptitiously looked him up and down. He had to admit, Draco looked good, even in sweatpants and a grey muscle shirt. His makeup was already all applied; he must have already performed tonight and just thrown on something more comfortable in between shows.

"Potter. What are you doing here?"

"It's making me very uncomfortable, you being here with that . . . that Frankie," Harry told him in a low voice. Draco smirked.

"Be careful, Potter, it's starting to sound like you actually care what happens to me," Draco warned him cynically as he made his way further into the room.

"Like it or not, I do care what happens to you," Harry hissed, placing his hands on his hips. Draco looked at him quickly.

"Really, now?" the blonde asked, picking up a clear, plastic cup filled with a frozen-looking drink and taking a sip from it.

"Yes. What is that?" Harry asked. His curiosity overcame his indignation at the blonde.

"Frozen cappuccino," Draco told him, setting it down and walking closer to Harry. "So you care about me?"

"What happens to you, yes," Harry replied, taking a step back. Having Draco so close was causing him to give undue attentions to parts of the blonde he would rather not.

"Why, Potter, I'm flattered."

"Don't be. As soon as you're situated someplace with wizards, you'll never he from me again," Harry said.

"As soon as I'm situated? I thought it was just getting me out of here," Draco reminded him coyly.

"Well, I can't very well get you out of the club, then leave you jobless in Muggle London," Harry responded, swallowing hard. Draco took another step forward. Harry didn't move.

"Ah, no, you wouldn't be a very good Gryffindor if you did that," Draco whispered, their faces mere inches apart. Harry could feel Draco's breath on his lips.

A loud crash startled them apart. They both wore slightly guilty looks as Frankie stared from Harry to Draco.

"Who's this, Dragon?" the owner asked, moving towards them.

"Uh, this is an old friends of mine, Frankie. Harry Potter," Draco told him, his face paling as the other man approached.

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter. Name's Frankie Larose. I own the Blue Moon," Frankie said, a sleazy sort of smile on his face. Harry instantly disliked him, but he took Frankie's outstretched hand anyway.

"Well, I can see you've done a very good job with it," Harry complemented, a fake smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, our Dragon here has a performance to get ready for," he reminded Draco. Draco jumped and paled as he felt a hand groping at his arse. Harry's face was reddening with anger. Draco shook his head slightly, pleading with his eyes. Harry clenched his fists and forced a painful-looking smile on his face.

"Of course," he conceded. He gave Draco a very direct look. "Draco, I'll talk to you later."

Ignoring the churning feeling his stomach was giving him, he turned and left.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Harry whispered to himself as he left the building.

Author's Notes: Damn horny men! They're trying to kiss waaaaay before they're scheduled to. So I piss them off by interrupting!! Review, my lovelies!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.

Thank you's: People, I don't know what I'd do without you . . .

To Noename: Hehehe, excited much? Thank you soooo much for your review. It really made my day to see all of your praise. ::does a happy dance clutching Noename's review:: I _loved_ writing that little part in the conversation!!! That was my favorite part of their argument!!! Enjoy chapter 4!!!

To Dumbledude: First of all, _love_ the penname. Very cool! Second, thanks for your review! Hope chapter 4 measures up to your expectations!!

To SunGoddess1: I'm so glad you liked chapter 3!!! Hope you enjoy reading chapter 4 as much!!

To Kavfh: Thanks for saying my fic is great! I love getting reviews like your; theyr eally make me sooo much happier!! Enjoy!!

To driven to insanity: Hehehe, love the penname!! Hope you enjoy chapter 4 as much as the others!!

To silver-sunn101: Hey, you're reviewing this story too!!! Yay!! I'm so glad you like the fic so far and all of the mini-genres encompassed in the fic (am I using that word correctly?? Encompassed??). Anyway, yes, Drac's story will be told in detail in a chapter in the making (i.e. _very_ soon). Until then, enjoy!!

To Isis-mystic: I had to stop their kiss!! They are _waaaaay_ ahead of schedule. Yeah, even though Draco was a jerk their whole school-lives, she's a good Gryffindor, she's gotta get him!! Enjoy chapter 4!!!

To kt: Thank you sooo much for your review!! It was so sweet!!! Enjoy!!

To NiimuraYume: Thanks for you review!! I'm a very dramatic person, so there _is_ going to be a lot of acting! Lol. Anyway, thanks for your review, and hope you like chapter 4!!!

Chapter 4 

Harry took a deep breath as he turned the handle to his apartment at a quarter to midnight. He'd hidden in the shadows of the club and surreptitiously watched Draco perform his "Fever" dance. He smiled at Ron and Hermione as he entered the room. Ron stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed and glaring at him. Hermione was in her pajamas and curled up on the sofa, idly flipping through an edition of Witch's Weekly.

"Hey, guys," Harry greeted weakly. "How was your evening?"

"Lovely, Harry, thank-" Hermione began.

"_Don't. Even. Try_," Ron interrupted between clenched teeth.

"Ronald . . ." Hermione said in a tone that clearly said, "Watch it."

"Stay out of this, Hermione," Ron snapped. "You went back to see him, didn't you? You went to go see Malfoy!"

"Ron-"

"Don't lie to me, Harry!"

"I wasn't going to! Yes, I went to go see him! Is that a crime?" Harry shouted. "Merlin, Ron, you're not my bloody keeper!"

"Why did you go see him?" Ron demanded.

"I just don't like him being there, that's all," Harry replied shortly, pushing past Ron. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed."

He walked into his bedroom, closing the door a little harder than necessary. He heard Ron say something about taking a walk and the front door opening and closing. Harry sighed and threw himself on his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, half-hoping he would suffocate and wouldn't have to deal with Ron and Malfoy and everything else. A moment later, he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

"Harry?" came Hermione's timid voice. Harry lifted his face enough to be heard.

"Come on in, 'Mione," he mumbled before dropping back down. He heard the faint creak of his door opening and closing and the bed dipped slightly as Hermione sat down and placed a hand on his back.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, getting right to the point. Harry laughed dryly and flipped over

"Not one for subtlety, hm?" he murmured, dragging a hand across his eyes.

"I'm tired and want to go to bed, but first I want to find out what's going on with one of my best friends," she replied frankly, giving him one of her intense looks.

"I see."

"So . . . what's going on with you? And don't try to tell me nothing's wrong, you're fine, I can tell something's wrong," Hermione interrupted him as he opened his mouth.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm just very . . . confused," Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. He was beginning to feel the itches of sleep tugging at his eyelids, dragging them down.

"About Malfoy," Hermione prompted. Harry looked at her sharply.

"How did you-?"

"Ron's smarter than he looks," she told him sagely. Her brow crinkled. "And acts sometimes, for that matter. Anyway, it's obvious the two of you have something for each other."

"But I don't _want_ to have anything for him!" Harry exclaimed. "He's _Malfoy_, for Merlin's sake!"

"He's changed. You said it yourself," Hermione reminded him. Harry opened his mouth and found he had no reply. "That's what I thought," she added. She leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Good night."

She stood up and left the room, closing it behind her. Harry stared after her.

_ Is it possible? _ he wondered. _ Could I feel . . . something for Malfoy? _

Draco slung his bag over his shoulder and yawned. It was nearly five o'clock in the morning and he was finally heading home. He waved goodbye to Roscoe and Eric and stopped just short of running right into Frankie at the club's exit.

"Careful there, Dragon," Frankie warned, a leering grin playing on his face. He reached around behind Draco and pulled him close, his hand on the blonde's arse. Draco swallowed hard and struggled to hide his apprehension.

"Sorry, Frankie," Draco muttered, attempting to move past the club owner. Frankie held him tighter and leaned close.

"Get here early tonight, Dragon," he whispered in Draco's ear. "We need to talk."

Having said that, Frankie pressed his mouth to Draco's and forced his tongue between the blonde's clenched lips. The feeling of Frankie's tongue lapping at his own made Draco want to vomit. He now couldn't ever remember what he saw in Frankie and all he dreamt of was to leave forever. He fought down the nearly irrepressible urge to snap his teeth shut on his boss's tongue and instead screwed up his nerve to wait until the 'kiss' ended. If it could be called that.

It finally did, and Frankie pulled away with a satisfied leer upon his face.

"Thanks for that, Dragon. Don't forget to come early tonight. We need to talk!"

With that, Frankie swept into the club, leaving Draco staring after him. _ What do we need to talk about? _Draco wondered. Deciding he would just wait until tonight to find out instead of cooking up half-brained reasons, he turned and exited the club. About halfway down the block, he suddenly stopped as a memory floated to the front of his mind.

"_Ah, no, you wouldn't be a very good Gryffindor if you did that," Draco whispered, his face now mere inches away from Harry's. His heart was pounding. He'd wanted to do this since their years at Hogwarts. He could feel Harry's breath on his lips. Just another few inches . . ._

_A loud crash startled them apart. They both wore slightly guilty looks as Frankie stared from Harry to Draco._

Draco's heart dropped. Oh, no. Ohno, ohno, ohno. This wasn't good in the slightest.

"Harry, are you going to get out of this bedroom anytime today?" Hermione asked, standing over him. He cracked an eye and glanced up.

"I dunno. I haven't decided yet," Harry mumbled back. "What time is it?"

"A quarter to six. Harry, you've been in here all day. You need to get out," Hermione pleaded.

"No, I don't." Hermione sighed at the stubbornness of her friend.

"You got an owl today," she remarked, tossing it onto the bed.

"Okay."

"It's from Malfoy."

This woke Harry up.

"It is?" he asked, picking up the letter and staring at it. Hermione leaned over and tapped the corner of the envelope. It read 'D. Malfoy' in an elegant script. Harry fingered the envelope, wondering why Malfoy wrote him. He heard a soft noise and when he looked up, his door was shut and Hermione had left the room. He looked back down at the letter and, after a moment's thought, tore it open.

_Potter,_

_This letter's slightly awkward to write, but I think Frankie might have . . . seen us and suspected what was going on when he walked in on us last night. You might not think anything of it, but something of this sort has happened to me before and I'd rather it didn't happen again. The consequences last time weren't nice in the least. Anyway, I just thought you'd like to know: He wants to talk to me before my shift tonight, I'm assuming about you. Any brilliant ideas on how to get me out of this, Golden Boy?_

_Draco_

Harry stared at the letter for another few minutes, rereading it several times before he comprehended the entire meaning.

"HERMIONE!"

She came flying into his room, her hair askew.

"What?! What is it?! What's wrong?" she demanded. Harry thrust the letter at her and watched her read it over quickly. When she was finished, she looked up at him her eyes wide.

"What do I-?"

"_What the bloody hell are you waiting for?!_" This shocked Harry into silence; Hermione never swore.

"What do you mean, what the bloody hell am I waiting for?" Harry cried.

"I mean, go to him! He's going to need your help!" Hermione exclaimed, shooing him out of the bedroom into the living room.

"How d'you bloody know?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Did you not read his letter?" she demanded. She held it up and read with a flourish, "Blah, blah, blah . . . _'Something of this sort has happened to me before and I'd rather it didn't happen again. The consequences last time weren't nice in the least.'_ That just screams 'Help me!' Now, go!"

"I'm going!" Harry shouted as he was pushed out the door.

Draco took a deep breath as he stood before Frankie's office door. Trying to control his shaking, he raised a hand and knocked on the door. For one fleeting moment before the door opened, Harry's face flashed through his mind. He was foolish to think the hero of the wizarding world would actually come through to help him. Draco very suddenly found himself with a face-full of bodyguard. The guard stared at him for a moment before stepping aside and showing him into the office. Frankie sat spinning gently from side-to-side in his chair, his fingers steepled and a slight smile on his face.

"Have a seat, Dragon," Frankie said quietly, gesturing to an armchair. Draco struggled to calm his nerves as he sat. "Now, do you know why I needed to talk to you?"

Draco shook his head, fidgeting with his fingers.

"It's about your friend - what's his name again? Jerry? Larry?"

"Harry?" Draco offered timidly, his heart speeding up.

"That's it. Harry." Frankie smiled again, causing Draco's heart to leap into his throat. "Now, when I walked into your dressing room last night, you two looked more than just friends. You know, we can't have things like that when you're working for me," Frankie reminded him, standing up.

"I swear, Frankie, it's nothing like that, we were just talking and the conversation just got a little . . . heated," Draco offered, knowing as the words were tumbling from his mouth that the excuse sounded like a lie. Frankie sneered.

"See, Dragon, that's not what it looked like to me," he disagreed, walking around Draco's chair and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It looked like the two of you were getting ready for a little snog." His grip tightened. "We can't have that, can we?"

"No, Frankie, I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Draco promised, his heart thumping loudly.

"Damn right it won't," Frankie said, his tone turning black. He wrapped his fingers around the back of Draco's throat and lifted his out of the chair. He spun Draco around and grabbed his once again by the throat. He stared into Draco's eyes and smirked. "It's a pity. You're a very pretty boy. I'm gonna miss you, Dragon." He pressed his mouth to Draco's again; this time, however, it only lasted a few moments. "Shawn, Greg," he said, nodding in turn to each of his bodyguards. "Take him out back and finish him, boys." He pushed Draco into the waiting hands of his bodyguards and turned back to his desk.

Draco was terrified as he was dragged through the halls. Several of the dancers poked their heads out of their dressing rooms and clapped their hands over their mouths, horrified that this was going to happen to one of their friends. They all knew what was going to happen. Eric had followed suit, peeking into the hallway; when he saw Draco in the bodyguards' hands, he dashed out into the corridor in front of them.

"Draco, what's going on?" he cried, looking at all three.

"Eric, get out of the way," Draco pleaded. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Draco-" Eric was cut off by a huge fist courtesy of Shawn smashing into his face. He was thrown into the wall, where he laid, a hand to his head. He looked up at Draco, a tear streaking down his face.

"Good-bye, Eric," Draco whispered as they started off again. He craned his neck to look at his friend. "Thanks for everything."

He was led out the back exit into an alleyway that opened onto a street. He was thrown to the ground, where he laid, immobile, waiting for either Shawn or Greg to deal the first blow. After a few moments, when nothing had hit, he cracked an eye open. Both guards were standing over him, looking at each other.

"Well?" Draco couldn't resist asking.

"Well, what?" Greg replied.

"Aren't you going to beat me to a bloody pulp and then . . .finish me off?" Draco wondered.

"Wow, he's quick," Shawn remarked to Greg. Draco never saw the first punch. All he felt was a blinding pain in the side of his face and suddenly, there were blows raining in from both guards. They beat him with their fists, kicked him, hit him with pipes that lay forgotten on the ground. Draco could feel ribs cracking and bruises forming. He prayed for death to find him, and quickly. Other than the Cruciatus, he'd never felt such excruciating pain. The beating continued. About ten minutes into the beating, Draco, his face streaked with tears, lay immobile on the ground, blood flowing freely. The blows ceased and he dared to crack an eye open to see what was going on. He saw Shawn reach into an inside coat pocket and pull out a Muggle revolver, Greg still holding a metal pipe in his hand. Draco's eyes widened. _ Bloody hell, this is how it's ending, _ he thought weakly. _ Death by a Muggle weapon. Merlin, who would've seen this coming? _He closed his eyes and waited for the end. He heard the weapon being cocked.

"One, two, shoot on three?" Shawn asked Greg.

"No way," he replied, twirling the pipe like a baton. "One, two, three, shoot."

"All right."

Several tears escaped Draco's control and they slid down his face, cutting clear trails in the blood.

"One . . ."

"Two . . ."

The second before 'three' seemed to go on forever. Draco's mind went blank except for one thing, one face that still floated there.

Harry.

_ I'm so sorry . . . _

At the same time Shawn said, "Three," Draco thought he heard a low cry uttered from the direction of the mouth of the alley.

Harry gasped when he saw Draco's beaten and bloody form lying on the ground. The two guards over him, one with a gun and the other with a metal pipe, growled when they heard Harry. The one with the pipe proceeded to beat the broken blonde with it. The blonde cried out in pain and curled up, hoping to protect himself.

"Hey! Arseholes!" was the shout that made them pause. The guard wielding the gun changed his mind and aimed at Harry, pulling the trigger. Harry dove to the side, rolling and jumping to his feet. The guard suddenly found himself missing a gun. Harry took the momentary confusion of the man to land a solid blow to his jaw. He stumbled into the brick wall, leaning there, trying to stop the bleeding from a split lip. The guard beating Draco was soon sans pipe and nursing a bloody nose. He wiped the stream of blood and started towards Harry with his partner- in-crime at his side. Harry was rather angry at Draco's treatment and picked up several large wooden planks lying nearby. Seething, he hurled the planks at the guards. They staggered back, but kept their balance, glaring daggers at Harry and starting once again towards him. The wizard wasn't fazed and he kicked both guards squarely in the chest. They lost their breath and fell backwards into a large stack of wooden crates. The boxes toppled and covered the guards completely, some staying whole, but most breaking. Harry took the opportunity to quickly kneel down next to Draco. He wiped a trail of blood away from Draco's eye and smiled softly.

"Didn't think you'd come, Harry," Draco whispered, cracking his eyes to look at his saviour.

"Oh, we're on a first name basis now, are we?" Harry teased quietly.

"I'd like to be," Draco replied seriously, his voice barely audible. He looked up into Harry's eyes. Harry looked back. They could hear the guards stirring.

"So would I," Harry told him, brushing a lock of hair from Draco's face. "And you never have to worry about me not coming when you need me. I'll always come . . . Draco."

Draco smiled, feeling a vestige of happiness fight its way into his heart.

"Can you walk?" Harry asked, glancing up. "We should probably get going before Dumb and Dumber get all their strength back."

Draco smiled again.

"I don't know. I can try," Draco answered. Harry placed an arm around his shoulders and grasped one of his hands to help him up. Draco struggled to his feet and found out quickly his left ankle wasn't quite right. Harry saw the same.

"Uh . . . put your arm around my shoulders," he instructed, his cheeks burning. Draco looked at him.

"What?"

"Come on, I've got to carry you, there's no way you can walk on that ankle," Harry explained. Draco knew he was right and reached out a shaking hand, trying to quell the beating of his heart. Harry scooped him into his arms. Draco clung to him, pain coursing through his veins. He rested his head on Harry's shoulder, exhaustion sweeping over him. Harry looked at the beaten young man in his arms oddly, his face taking on a soft look. Draco smiled softly and closed his eyes, one hand grasping Harry's shirt. Harry shook himself out of his reverie and looked over at the two guards picking their way out of the mess of crates.

"You two will never touch him again," Harry growled, glaring death at the men. "You will go back and tell your boss that whatever he wanted is done and he'll never have to deal with Draco again. If anyone comes after this man, I will find you and I will kill you."

Leaving them with that warning, Harry turned and walked out of the alley. He walked a ways down the block and found a secluded little grove of trees. Glancing around quickly, he stepped into them and Apparated to his apartment. He managed to open the door and walked inside. Hermione looked up quickly and gasped. Harry could understand why; Draco looked horrible. She stood up quickly and hurried over to the men. She touched a hand to Draco's temple and looked up at Harry, her eyes full of questions and concern.

"We have to help him," Harry told her, slightly surprised to find his voice breaking. She looked down at the unconscious blonde and nodded. She pulled out her wand and conjured up an extra cot. "Put it in my room. I'll watch over him," Harry whispered when she could find nowhere to place the bed. She looked at him oddly and nodded once again. They set the bed up in a semi-clean corner of Harry's bedroom and Harry carefully laid the broken body on the sheets. Hermione spent several minutes looking over Draco's injuries and was able to stop most of the bleeding. She magically healed many of the small cuts and bruises that adorned the blonde and bandaged several wounds that were too large for her to charm healthy. Next, she looked at Draco's chest and ankle while Harry looked on worriedly.

"Is he going to be okay?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Probably," she replied, looking up. She gestured at Draco's chest. "He seems to have a few broken ribs, judging by the bruising here, and a sprained ankle. That should heal easily, within the week. His ribs will take a bit longer though. It'll be painful for him to walk for a while."

She left the room and returned a minute later with some healing salves that she'd found in their bathroom. Carefully, she rubbed them over Draco's bruised chest. He flinched and murmured in his unconscious state, but otherwise didn't move. She wiped her hands on a towel and straightened.

"All that's left now . . . is to wait for him to wake up," Hermione told Harry quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You did the right thing bringing him here," she told him seriously.

"What about-"

"Don't worry about Ron. I'll take care of him," she reassured him. She patted his cheek before leaving Harry alone with the injured blonde. Harry sighed and looked down at their patient. He knelt down and tucked a few stray locks of hair behind Draco's ear, resting his hand on the blonde's head. Draco stirred and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Harry. Harry blushed and moved to snatch his hand back. Draco caught it and smiled. What he did next was something Harry never thought would happen. Draco brought Harry's hand to his lips and kissed his palm twice before holding it against his heart. He opened his mouth and Harry leaned in close, knowing the blonde's voice would be soft due to the extent of his injuries.

"You saved me from horrors you couldn't even begin to imagine," Draco whispered, his hand placed over Harry's. "For that, I thank you. I owe you my life."

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Harry told him, his eyes locked with Draco's.

"Nevertheless . . ." the ex-Slytherin murmured. He was awfully close. Harry moved closer. "Thank you."

Draco closed the distance between them and brushed his lips lightly over Harry's. The Boy Who Lived was too shocked to respond, and Draco took that as a sign of rejection.

"That was inappropriate of me; I'm sorry," he whispered almost inaudibly, his cheeks stained pink and he turned his head so not to look at Harry.

"Don't be," Harry whispered back. He placed his free hand at the back of Draco's neck and guided him back so he could look him in the eye. "Don't be sorry, not about that," he advised softly. He leaned down and captured Draco's lips gently. The blonde timidly began to respond. Harry was flying. He'd been kissed before, yes (Merlin knows how hard he's tried to forget the dating fiasco with Cho Chang when he was in fifth year), but nothing like this. Draco's lips were soft and wonderful and were heaven to the touch. They broke when the need for air became urgent. Draco looked up at his, eyes shining.

"You're tired," Harry told him, stroking his cheek. "You've had a horrible day. You should go to sleep."

Draco looked up at his, his brow creased and his eyes confused.

"But . . . what about-"

"Shh. We can talk tomorrow," Harry murmured, brushing the blonde's eyes closed. Draco opened them again to look up at Harry and nodded. He closed his eyes once more and fell victim to the whims of the sandman. Harry watched him sleep and wondered how such a man had gone from being his hated enemy to stealing his heart.

Author's Notes: Ahhh, they kissed! Still ahead of schedule, but when they're this lovely and fun to play with, who can resist? And poor Draco had a horrible, crappy day.

Also, I've started up a LiveJournal for all my slash fics on I'm using it for updates and cookies and that sort of thing. Check it out every so often for more news: 

Until next time . . . Review, my pretties, and your little dogs, too! (Sorry, I just watched the "Wizard of Oz" for the five hundredth time. Such a classic . . .)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful little boys; I'm just borrowing them for my plot.

Author's Notes: Hear ye, hear ye! This here chapter contains sexual content! If you are not happy about it/do not like it/etc, why are you this far into the story??? (I feel like a cross between a medieval announcer and a drill sergeant . . .) Thank you, my wonderful readers and reviewers!!!!!

To venilia: Ahhh, don't worry about being late. I almost always am with reading and reviewing updates. I hibernate in my room. ::big grin:: That's my sanctuary. Everything but a fridge and a computer. Once I get those, my family will never see me. Holy crap, two a.m.?????? O.O Oh, my. Well, I'm glad you still like the fic. Hope the chapter measures up to your expectations!!!

To NiimuraYume: Thanks so much for the sweet review! I'm glad you liked it. Here's chapter 5!!! (Hope it hasn't taken too long...)

To Alora: Thanks for the review!! Lol, Harry and Draco are my favorite too. _Veeeeeery_ . . . erm . . . nice. Hehehehe . . . ::eyes glaze over dreaming:: No, I'm not going to switch my fics over LiveJournal. I'm just using it as an update source, so my readers can find out when new chapters will be updated, cookies (sometimes . . .), and woeful ramblings about my pathetic life. ::big tear:: No one ever reads that last part. So, fear not! My fics shall remain on !!!

To SunGoddess1: It was hard writing Draco's beating. I didn't like it, but it was kind of necessary. ::huggles Draco with SunGoddess:: He's so cute . . . Enjoy chapter 5!!

To zoomaphonethepirate: How on earth did you ever think of your penname???? Anyway, I'm so glad you like the fic so far! I certainly hope you'll continue to read and review and tell me what you think!!!

To Jazzylady: WOW! Thank you soooooo much for the wonderful review!!! Oh, my goodness! ::squeals:: It totally made my day. Thanks so much. Hope you'll enjoy chapter 5 as much as the previous chapters!!!

To HellPhoenixSirius: Lol, I love the Wizard of Oz. One of my favorite movies (other than HP, of course!) I had to make them kiss, they deserved it!! Poor Draco had a horrible crappy day, he needed some luvin' in his life! Hey, don't diss caffeine! It's my best friend on those long lonely nights when I'm trying to finish a chapter!!! Enjoy!!

To Isis-mystic: Thanks so much for your review! Yeah, I didn't want to have him killed (or plotted to anyway), but it was necessary for the plot. ::tear:: Poor baby . . . Enjoy!!!!

To driven to insanity: Here's more! Enjoy!!!

To silver-sunn101: I'm glad you liked chapter 4! Worked my ass off on it, trying to perfect it. Lol, Frankie's just the kind of guy that gets you squeamish like that . . . ::shivers, then looks over shoulder to make sure he's not looking:: Hope you like chapter 5!!!

Chapter 5

Harry was startled awake by the muffled sounds of arguing. He groggily rubbed his eyes and replaced his glasses in front of his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and noticed he had slept in a chair next to Draco's bed, still dressed in his clothes from yesterday. He must have dozed off as he watched Draco. He stood up and stretched, feeling a crick in his neck due to the odd sleeping position. He glanced down at the injured blonde and sighed softly, knowing they needed to talk when he awoke. For the time being, The Boy Who Lived settled for leaving his bedroom quietly and seeing why his best friends were arguing. Ron stomped over to him as soon as he'd stepped into the living room. Hermione was sitting on the couch, looking up at her fiancé.

"Harry, did you actually bring that asshole back here?" Ron cried angrily.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that and if you'd keep you're voice down," Harry requested coolly, walking into the kitchenette and pouring himself a cup of tea. "Draco's still asleep."

Ron's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"_Draco_? You're calling the little wanker _Draco_ now?!" Ron shouted, his face reddening.

"Ron, stop yelling," Harry spat, glaring at the redhead. Ron looked as though steam could come billowing out of his ears at any moment. "And, obviously, I'm calling him Draco or else we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"Harry, what I don't get is why you had to bring him back here." Ron's tone had lowered, but there was still an underlying current of anger and resentment.

"Ron, would you prefer I had left him in that alley to be beaten to death?" Harry asked. He cut his friend off before he could say anything. "Don't answer that. I had to do something. He was hurt and needed help. As a good ex-Gryffindor, what else could I do?"

Ron glared at him for a moment before sighing heavily and raking a hand through his hair.

"I hate it when you play the Gryffindor card," he murmured, glancing away. A grin slowly spread over Harry's face.

"Thanks, Ron." Harry ran into his room and pulled his moneybag from a drawer in a small table by the door. He walked back into the room, digging in the bag. After a moment, he shrugged and closed the drawstring on the bag, holding it out to his friends. "Here. Go out to dinner or something tonight, my treat."

"What?! Harry . . . no, we can't take your money," Hermione objected, getting up and moving to stand next to Ron.

"Yes, you can."

"No, we can't."

"Yes, you can. And you will," Harry ordered. "You'll go someplace nice in the wizarding quarter, or Hogsmeade maybe."

"Are you sure, mate?" Ron asked, his eyes on the bag, their previous argument forgotten for the moment.

"Positive. Here." Harry placed the moneybag in Ron's hand and turned to the bathroom. He splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth before heading back to his own room. He closed the door and cautiously made his way over to the window. He opened the blinds a bit and looked at the bed in his room. Draco was stirring gently in his sleep. Harry smiled and lightly ran his fingers over the blonde's cheek. Suddenly, Draco's eyes flew open and, pushing Harry out of the way onto the larger bed in the room, he attempted to shoot out of the bed. He managed to stand up, pain flitting across his face, but his injuries prevented him from doing more. His face paled and his leg threatened to give out on him. Harry jumped off the bed and caught Draco just as he started to fall. He sat at the head off the cot and settled the blonde back on the bed. Draco squirmed around a bit and relaxed once he was leaning against Harry, closing his eyes. Harry's own emerald eyes widened in surprise.

"What was that little stunt all about?" Harry asked softly. Draco opened his eyes and looked up at him.

"Whenever I've woken up in a strange place before, it . . . hasn't . . . been good," he murmured, casting his gaze to the floor. Harry's forehead creased with worry and he hesitantly encircled Draco with his arms, careful to avoid the bruising. Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes shining, and brought his own hands up to catch hold of Harry's. This simple action made Harry want to protect and hold the blonde man in his arms forever. He ducked his head and gently placed a kiss on Draco's cheek. The blonde moved around again, this time, almost so he was sitting up. He was face to face with Harry and turned in his arms to face him. Harry looked into Draco's grey eyes. He was captivated by those eyes. He was sure he could spend hours on end just staring into them. Draco, however, had different plans. He closed the distance between them until Harry could feel Draco's breath ghosting over his lips.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Draco murmured. "Because I'll never let you go, I've dreamt of this for too long."

Harry didn't need to think about it.

"Yes," he whispered before he leaned forward to capture Draco's lips in a sweet kiss. Harry's mind flew as the kiss continued. This must be heaven on earth. He nearly pulled out of the kiss when he felt Draco's tongue run across his lower lip, begging for entrance. He eagerly obliged and was immediately brought to a new kind of flying. Forget what he said before. _This_ was heaven on earth. That was just the ride there. Draco tasted like spices and mint, an intoxicating combination he couldn't get enough of. What started as a simple kiss soon progressed into a possessive lip-lock. Their tongues dueled as the bruising kiss continued. Harry's hand traveled up Draco's body to tangle in his hair. When they broke a few moments later for lack of air, Harry looked surprised.

"Well, Potter, you're a better kisser than I could've imagined," Draco remarked softly, chuckling as Harry burned crimson. He reached up and ran a finger down Harry's jaw line. Harry caught his hand and pressed a kiss to the fingers. Draco sighed contentedly and settled into Harry's embrace.

"Now what?" he asked, holding Harry's hand to his heart.

"Now we have Hermione come in and make sure nothing bad happened to your injuries when you bounced out of bed," Harry told him, standing. He propped Draco up on a few pillows and smoothed his hair back. Draco settled back against the cushioning, wincing as he did so.

"Merlin, how did you handle being in the hospital wing so much at school?" he grumbled. "It's exhausting."

Harry grinned and kissed his forehead before leaving the room. Hermione and Ron were sitting on the couch, poring over several parchments spread out on the coffee table. They looked up at him as he walked over to them.

"Can you believe we've got to start this already?" Ron complained, handing Harry a sheaf of papers. He looked down at them and made a face when he saw _'Class Schedules'_ scrawled across the top of the sheet in Minerva McGonagall's legible script. Ron grinned. "That's about what I said."

"Yeah, but you're the Flying instructor," Harry retorted. "That's not terribly difficult."

"Still . . ." Ron shrugged. "I'm lazy."

"You've got to start, too, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "We've got to have lesson plans finalized and in to Albus by the twenty-ninth of August."

"I can't believe we've only got another week and a half before term starts again," Harry groaned. He dropped the parchments on a chair and hugged Hermione from behind. "Draco's up." She turned to look at him and nodded, placing her lesson plans on the coffee table. Harry ignored Ron's stiffened posture and followed Hermione into his bedroom. Hermione sat down on the edge of the cot.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Like a hippogriff ran me over," Draco replied. Harry smiled and grasped the blonde's hand, his thumb stroking his skin. Hermione's eyes widened, but said nothing. She quickly looked over Draco's injuries and, after muttering a spell as she waved her wand over his chest, pronounced him fine, with the exception of his ankle. Harry and Draco both watched as the dark bruises marring his skin disappeared.

"Harry, could I speak to you for a moment?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded and squeezed Draco's hand. He stood up and followed Hermione into her bedroom.

"What's going on, Harry?" she murmured, her hands on her hips. "With Malfoy."

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I want to give it a try," Harry told her honestly. She looked up at him for a moment before throwing her arms around his neck.

"If you're serious about seeing Malfoy, I support you," she said, her voice slightly muffled. Harry hugged her tightly.

"Thanks, Hermione."

Harry grinned at her as he headed out the door. He took a detour to the kitchenette to grab some toast and a few peaches. It was nearly noon and Harry was starving. He returned to his bedroom and smiled at Draco.

"Here, I brought you some toast," Harry told him, holding it out. Draco smiled up at him as he took the food.

"Thanks," he murmured. He nibbled at a corner of a slice as Harry bit into his fruit. Harry watched him for a few moments until the mounting silence became unbearable.

"This is going to sound kind of stupid, given the recent events, but . . . what's bothering you?" he asked finally, setting his fruit on his bed. "Something's wrong, I can tell."

Draco sighed and placed the remainder of his toast in his napkin.

"I'm just wondering. About where . . . we go from here," the blonde murmured. Harry looked at him for a moment before he picked up Draco's food and placed it next to his own. He sat on Draco's bed and enveloped him in his arms. Draco closed his eyes and clutched Harry's arm.

"We take it one day at a time," Harry replied softly. "But first, I'd like to hear more of how you got to be working for Frankie, and what went on during your employment."

Draco frowned. "Do I have to?"

Harry looked down at him, amused.

"Yes, you do. Or else."

"Or else what?"

Harry thought for a moment.

"Or else I shall never kiss you again," he said triumphantly. Draco's eyes narrowed and he stared at Harry speculatively.

"You're bluffing."

"Would you like to try?"

A pause.

"No," Draco decided as he settled against Harry. Harry smiled and placed a kiss on the top of Draco's head. The blonde sighed and plunged, somewhat hesitantly into his story. "Well, as you know, I fought on your side -- Dumbledore's side -- in the final battle with Voldemort. Before I switched sides, I saw my -- Lucius heartlessly murder dozens of Muggles and Muggle-borns just because he felt like it or he was in a bad mood or Voldemort told him to do it. That was actually why I switched sides. I realized Muggles and Muggle-borns were just like pureblooded wizards; their ancestry was just a little different. Anyway, I watched the people I'd known all my life die. I watched my parents die and I realized . . . they were wrong. After the battle, I Disapparated to the Manor. I soon came to find my parents were deeply in debt, but had no actual intention of paying their bills. I paid off as many of their debts as I could, but there just wasn't enough money." Draco paused here and looked up at Harry. "You said everyone looked for me after Voldemort was defeated. You couldn't have looked very hard," he accused. Harry squirmed.

"Well . . . no, we didn't. Could you blame us? We hated each other for seven years. We couldn't let go of the animosity when you joined us, especially Ron," Harry admitted.

"I never hated you," Draco murmured, casting his gaze to the floor. Harry looked at him for a moment before pulling Draco to himself.

"Then you did a bloody great job acting," Harry replied, running his hand through Draco's silky blonde locks.

"I had orders." Harry held Draco close as he continued. "Anyway, I was in Muggle London one day, taking a walk, and I ran into Frankie. He invited me for coffee and I accepted. I realized I liked guys more than girls in sixth year, when I discovered I had a rather debilitating crush on . . . well, someone. Things seemed to really click, between Frankie and I. We met quite a few times before he finally asked me why I was so stressed out. I explained to him that I was having money problems and the situation was worsened by the fact I was unemployed. He kind of smirked and asked me how deep in debt I was. I told him and the next time I saw him, he had the exact amount I needed in an envelope. He also told me there was a job opening at his club if I was interested. I told him I'd be forever grateful to him and I distinctly remember him sort of sneering and saying, 'Damn right you will.' But of course, it hadn't really bothered me at the time. I just thought he had a weird sense of humour.

"A week or so later, I'd sold the Manor and the bills were finally paid off. Frankie brought me to his club -- I thought it was a normal club; you know, drinks and dancing." Harry noticed a slight catch in Draco's voice as he described how his life had plummeted. The blonde seemed to be having a hard time continuing his tale.

"What happened when you got to the club, Draco?" Harry asked softly, placing light kisses on the ex-Slytherin's temple.

"There -- we walked in and . . . and I saw a man with his leg hooked around the pole, sliding down it! And Frankie turned to me and said, 'Can't wait to see you up there!' I didn't want to, Harry, I swear, but he made me!" By now, Draco had buried his face in Harry's shirt and was sobbing freely. Harry himself had to make an effort to stay composed.

"Shhh, it's okay, love, no one will hurt you now, I won't let them," he murmured soothingly. He gently rocked Draco as he traced indifferent designs on his back in a calming manner.

"He made me . . . and he sold me when I didn't listen," Draco sobbed. Harry was outraged.

"WHAT?!"

Draco flinched at the anger in Harry's voice and let go of him like he'd been burned. He curled up, his head on his knees, and began chanting softly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . ." Harry chastised himself for his anger and scooted over the bed to gather Draco in his arms.

"No, it's not your fault, Draco; it's me who should be sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," Harry whispered as he held the weeping young man. He soon calmed and finally managed to stop his tears, instead replacing them with the occasional hiccup and sniffle. Harry closed his eyes and just murmured soothing noises. He felt Draco lay his head on his shoulder and his hand on his stomach. He could feel the light brush of Draco's tear-moistened eyelashes against his skin as he lazily opened and closed his eyes and the hot puffs of breath skimming across his neck as he breathed. Harry knew that he would never allow anyone to hurt Draco. He couldn't. He heard his bedroom door open and looked up.

"Ron and I are leaving, Harry," Hermione told him quietly. Her brow creased as she looked at Draco. "Is he all right?"

Harry nodded. Hermione gave him a brief smile and closed the door. Harry looked down at the battered young man in his arms.

"Draco, love, look at me," Harry murmured. Draco looked up at him, a glint of something shimmering in his eyes. "You're safe now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. Ever."

Draco smiled and pulled Harry down to him. Their lips met in a sweet kiss and then Draco laid his head back on Harry's shoulder.

"You'd best be careful, Potter," he whispered, his breath ghosting across Harry's neck, sending an involuntary shiver up his spine. "Or else I might start falling in love with you again."

"Again?" Harry asked, mildly surprised.

"It was you I liked back in school," Draco confessed.

"I see. Well, if you did, would it be such a bad thing?" Harry mused nonchalantly.

Draco looked at him wonderingly before launching himself onto Harry. Their lips met gain, this time in a possessive, heated kiss, their tongues dueling. Their hands traveled, mapping out unmarked territory. Draco feverishly unbuttoned Harry's shirt and slid his hands over the sculpted chest. Harry moaned as he was assaulted with the wonderful feeling of Draco's mouth on his body. Draco dipped his tongue into Harry's navel and _that's_ when The Boy Who Lived realized how far down his body the Slytherin Prince actually was. His eyes flew open and he fought his way out of the swirl of pleasure he was experiencing.

"Draco -- wait! Don't," he gasped as Draco paused at the waistband of his jeans. Draco pulled away, hurt. Harry's heart melted. He sat up and pulled Draco into his arms, shivering slightly as their bare torsos aligned.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you wanted this as much as I do," Draco whispered, his voice just barely audible.

"No, Draco, I do, I just . . . I want to make this work. Make it last. I don't want to just jump into bed, okay?" Harry murmured, brushing a few strands of hair from Draco's face. The blonde nodded and sighed. Then he glanced down at himself.

"Harry, d'you -- do you mind if I take a quick shower?" he requested. "I feel disgusting. I haven't taken one for two days."

Harry grinned. "Of course not. And afterwards, I'll take one and then you can finish telling me what happened. Come on, I'll help you up."

They each took quick showers and dressed, Draco in a pair of Harry's loose drawstring pajama pants and Harry in another. Both disregarded their shirts. Harry helped Draco back to his bedroom and guided him towards his own bed. The blonde looked at him questioningly.

"Harry -- ?"

"Just thought it would be more comfortable than yours," he replied, shrugging. He hopped onto the bed, Draco next to him. Harry laid down and pulled Draco close, kissing his forehead. "Now, what did you mean earlier, that Frankie . . . sold you?"

Draco glanced away before settling against Harry, his hand resting on Harry's side.

"About a year after I started working there, I met this guy -- Andrew. He was really nice, so we started seeing each other," Draco explained softly. "Anyway, Frankie found out and told me that his dancers didn't have love lives, unless they were with him. He took me out and sold me on the streets, as a prostitute, several times, until he felt I'd learned my lesson. This sort of thing happened a few times, and not only to me."

"Draco, I'm sorry I wasn't there before," Harry murmured, stroking Draco's cheek.

"It's not your fault," the blonde replied, yawning. His eyes closed and he snuggled against Harry's side, using Harry's arm as a pillow. Harry smiled at the sight.

_I could get used to this, _he thought. Then an idea struck him. He lightly touched Draco's shoulder and shook him gently. "Draco, would you like to teach at Hogwarts?"

Draco opened his eyes sleepily and looked up at Harry.

"Of course! But I don't have a wand," he answered.

"What did you do with it?"

"Burned it. After Frankie gave me the money. Went to Diagon Alley to pay the bills and on the way out, I threw it in the fire in the Leaky Cauldron," Draco explained, yawning again. "I didn't want to have anything to do with magic anymore."

"Oh. Well, we can buy you another one," Harry told him, gazing into Draco's sleep-clouded grey eyes. Draco smiled at him and jumped on Harry. He kissed the young man beneath him deeply before moving on to his neck.

"Draco, what -- ohhhh . . ." Harry trailed off into a moan as Draco alternated between sucking and nipping. He soon had Harry writhing beneath him. After a few moments, Draco sat back and traced a finger over the purplish-red mark on Harry's neck.

"Now everyone knows you're taken and no one will try to take you away from me," he whispered lazily. Harry's hand flew to his neck, catching Draco's. He stared up at Draco for a minute before reaching up with his free hand and pulling Draco down to him.

"I wouldn't let anyone take me away from you even if they paid," Harry whispered back. He kissed Draco sweetly, a kiss full of the promise for tomorrow. When they broke, Draco was smiling and he tumbled down on Harry's opposite side, his legs dangling over Harry. He settled against Harry's side and sighed, yawning as he did so, using Harry's shoulder as a pillow. Harry looked at him amusedly.

"What is this?" he asked incredulously.

"'S com'for'ble," Draco mumbled into Harry's side in reply. Harry smiled; Draco didn't realize just how adorable he was when he did that. He kissed Draco's forehead as the blonde drifted off to sleep, following him soon after.

It was close to eleven o'clock when Ron and Hermione returned to the apartment. Ron, yawning widely, went straight to their room. Hermione headed towards Harry's room and opened the door. She stuck her head inside and started when she saw the two men in bed. Harry's arms were wrapped around Draco. The blonde's head was resting on Harry's chest and their legs were tangled under the blankets. Against her better judgment, Hermione tiptoed into the room and hesitantly took hold of the blanket. Screwing up her courage, she ducked down and peeked under the blanket, nearly melting in relief when she saw both wore light pajama pants. She smiled and pulled the blankets further up to keep them warm. Just as silently as when she entered, she crept out of the room, pausing just before she closed the door. She gazed in at the two men sleeping, wrapped around each other, and smiled again.

"Sleep tight, boys," Hermione whispered, quietly closing the door.

"Hermione?" she heard. She looked up and saw Ron standing in the doorway to their room. "Coming?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Ron," she replied. She walked over to where he was waiting and draped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Ronald," she murmured. He smiled and kissed her as he closed the door.

Author's Notes: I've got a question for you guys. In my lit class, we have to write an essay on our summer reading. My teacher (he's so cool) said if we're a good writer, we don't have to follow a specific format, but if we're not a good writer, we have to follow this format. Now, I don't know if I'm a good writer or not. What do you think???

Answer (please?) in a review, email ), or and IM (DanceLuvr723). Review and answer, my lovelies!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Hey, our two couch potatoes get out of the house! Thanks so much to my wonderful reviewers; you guys are amazing.

To moonlit-shadow0x: EEEEE, you reviewed my fic!!!! I love your stories!!! Wow, I'm excited now. ::grins:: Yay. Okay, thanks so much for the reviews! I tried to alter a picture I had saved on my computer of Tom Felton in his Draco getup from PoA to put on some black eyeliner, but it didn't really work. So I've decided I'm going to print out the picture and trace it, _then_ add on the eyeliner, just to see how it looks. I'd draw it myself, but . . . I have no artistic skill at all. ::grins:: About the dance in the first chapter: I spent almost two hours listening to that song and choreographing the dance. I only wish I could do all the stuff Draco can . . . I'm jealous of a fictional character . . .

To middlename:illiteracy: Cute name!! Thanks so much for your review and enjoy chapter 6!!!

To Emerald Dragon08: YAY!!!!! Everyone, go read this brilliant author's fics!!! Thank you so much for the review! It was so nice! Enjoy the chapter!!

To godric1: Thank you so much for the review; it was so sweet!!! Well, cheer up, this chapter's like five pages longer!!! Enjoy!!!

To Isis-mystic: Thanks for your review and for the support!! It was so nice!!! Enjoy!

To NatalieJ: Format abandoned!! Thanks for the review!!!

To silver-sunn101: Thanks for the feedback! I've been trying to put more detail into things and definitely will be in the future. When it came to Draco's eagerness, you've got to remember, he'd had a massive crush on Harry from the time they were in their sixth year and had dreamed about the moment he would have Harry in his arms, willing to love him. Hope that makes sense and clears the issue up. Enjoy chapter 6!

To kungzoune: Thanks for the review! ::drools:: Aren't Harry/Draco fics the best?!?!

To Vicky: Thank you so much for the wonderful review!! I got all fuzzy inside reading it. ::grins:: Enjoy the chapter!!

To Sabrith Alastar: Consider the format screwed!!! ::looks around:: O.o That sounds wrong . . . Okay, new chapter, enjoy!!!

To NiimuraYume: Thank you so much for the sweet review. It was so nice!!! Wow, you are _way_ too nice to me. I'm so glad you like the way it's written. And your comment about my style is honestly one of the best I've ever received. Enjoy the chapter!!!

To zoomaphonethepirate: Thanks so much for your review!! Interesting story aobut your name. I like it, too, it's different. Lol, I love Draco and Harry together!!!

To venilia: Oh, okay, you're always up that late. I can't. I end up falling asleep wherever I am, unless I've had a _ton_ of coffee or caffeine or sweets . . . ::eyes glaze over:: Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!!!!

Warnings: Mild sexual content. Don't like, leave now.

Dedicated: To my wonderful beta, Winde, whom I have not been acknowledging because I am an absolutely horrible person. All bow down and worship!! ::falls to the ground::

**Chapter 6**

Harry was in a misty room. He looked around, trying to discern where he was. Before he had the chance, two figures stepped out of the shadows. It was a beautiful young woman and a tall man. She had long, dark red hair and piercing green eyes. He had unruly raven locks and tortoise-shell glasses assisting twinkling hazel eyes. Harry stared.

"Mum? Dad?" he whispered hoarsely. He took a step forward when his parents smiled. Lily walked up to him and brushed a finger down his cheek his cheek. Her touch was feather-light.

"Follow your heart, Harry," James told him. Harry looked at him, his brow furrowing.

"Wha— Follow my heart?" he asked curiously. "What d'you mean?"

"Follow your heart, love," Lily murmured as she and James faded away.

"Mum!" Harry shouted, not wanting them to leave so soon. A new figure stepped out of the shadows. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. The handsome Marauder smiled at him.

"Follow your heart, mate," Sirius advised him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. He grinned and ruffled Harry's hair before he faded away.

"No, Sirius . . . come back," Harry murmured, his eyes shining. He felt so lost. He turned around slowly and started when he saw another figure smiling at him.

"Cedric?!"

Cedric Diggory grinned at him as Harry walked over to him, amazed.

"Follow your heart, Harry," Cedric told him. "Follow your heart." His voice seemed to encompass those of all his friends and the phrase echoed in his head as he stood, confused. Then, another figure stepped from the darkness. Harry stared. It was Draco. The blonde walked up to him, smiling gently. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from Harry's eyes.

"Draco—" Harry breathed, then found he had nothing to say.

"Just follow your heart, Harry," he said, placing his hands on Harry's neck. Harry wound his arms around Draco's back and pulled him close.

"But what does that mean?" Harry asked, frustrated. "What in my heart am I supposed to follow?"

Draco smiled. "Just follow your heart, my love," he whispered before catching Harry's lips in a fiery kiss.

Harry awoke with a start, panting heavily. He sat up and felt Draco's arm slip off his chest. Harry raked a hand through his hair and glanced down at the blonde. Draco as still sleeping peacefully, his hair mussed in the most adorable way. Harry smiled softly and settled back down on the bed, pulling Draco into his arms. Draco murmured something unintelligible in his sleep and curled against Harry, burying his face in Harry's neck. Harry leaned down and brushed his lips over Draco's forehead.

He thought back to the dream he just had. His lips still tingled from the kiss. He still didn't understand what everyone meant, saying, "Follow your heart." He didn't know what was in his heart. He knew he felt something, but he didn't know exactly what it was. He'd have to ponder on it later, however. The beautiful young man in his arms was beginning to stir. Draco's eyes opened slowly, clouded with sleep, and looked up. Harry caught his eye and smiled down at him.

"Hi," Draco mumbled, resting his head on Harry's chest. He reached out and traced a finger across Harry's collarbone where he knew there was a large purplish-red mark.

"You're the one that gets to explain that mark away to Ron and Hermione, you know," Harry told him amusedly.

"Fair enough. I'll just tell them we shagged like mad once they left," Draco told him cheekily, his grey eyes twinkling. Harry looked down at him, shocked.

"You wouldn't!"

"I was a Slytherin, love, I'm capable of anything," Draco murmured right before he captured Harry's mouth in a heated kiss. Their tongues dueled as Draco tangled his fingers in Harry's raven locks and Harry wound his arms around Draco's body, pulling him flush against himself. Draco pressed himself harder against Harry, moaning into his mouth. Harry rolled Draco onto his back and pressed hot kisses along his jaw line and down his neck. Draco whimpered when he felt the teasing nips and lavish sweeps of Harry's tongue across his skin. Harry tantalisingly made his way down Draco's chest, enveloping his nipples in wet heat. Draco groaned and sat up, dragging Harry to him for a ravenous kiss. The former Gryffindor straddled Draco's waist as he plundered his mouth, pressing him into the pillows on the bed.

"OH! MERLIN! Oh, bloody hell, I'm so sorry!"

They tore out of their passion and turned around to look at a mortified Hermione, standing shocked in their doorway, her hands clapped over her eyes. Harry quickly tumbled to the side of Draco, pulling the blanket over them to hide their quickly fading arousal.

"Hermione?" Harry asked tentatively. She peeked at them through her fingers and lowered them, slightly mollified by the fact Harry was no longer grinding himself into Draco. Their faces were still flushed and their lips were swollen; it was clear as to their intentions.

"Harry, Draco, I am so sorry, I was checking to see if you were awake – you obviously are – I honestly didn't mean to walk in and interrupt anything – bloody hell, I'm so embarrassed—" she rambled, her face crimson.

"Hermione!" Harry said loudly. "It's okay. Did you need anything?"

"Albus sent an owl. He wants to see both of you as soon as possible," she explained, stooping to the floor to pick up the letter she'd dropped in her flustered state. She handed it to Harry and rushed out of the room.

"Good news: she didn't see the hickey," Draco said. Harry groaned and hit him over the head with the letter before looking down at it. He began to open it as Draco moved behind him, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder and his arms about Harry's waist.

"What's it say?" Draco asked softly. Harry read it aloud.

"_Dear Messrs. Potter and Malfoy,_

_I trust I find you both in good health. I myself have only recently recovered from a Muggle virus I caught while visiting my second cousin in Alaska, in the United States. Nasty little bug (the virus, not my cousin)."_

"Absolutely mad. Completely nutters," Draco interrupted. Harry grinned in agreement and continued.

"_Miss Granger has contacted me about Mr. Malfoy's predicament concerning his current unemployment and financial status. I would appreciate it most greatly if you both could come visit me for a chat - and a cup of tea, perhaps - when you receive this post. Thank you kindly. I'll have a carriage waiting for you in Hogsmeade. Mr. Potter, you know the way._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts"_

"Well, then . . . I suppose we should get going," Harry said, looking at Draco. He nodded and threw the blankets off them.

"How are we getting there?" Draco asked. Harry shrugged.

"Apparition, I guess."

"Harry, I don't have a wand," Draco reminded him. Harry fell back onto the bed.

"We'll stop over at Diagon Alley and get you a wand and some clothes after our meeting with Albus," he decided, getting up and pulling Draco out of bed.

"Why clothes? I can just wear yours," Draco responded cheekily, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him close.

"You could, but I don't have enough clothes for the both of us and I'm positive our tastes differ quite a bit," Harry reminded him. Draco grinned and kissed him. Harry held him close for a moment before letting go to dig in a drawer. He straightened, pulling out two pairs of jeans and several different shirts. Draco wrinkled his nose.

"Potter, give me those," he ordered, holding his hand out. Harry looked at him before handing the shirts over. Draco looked at them critically before selecting a white button-up shirt for himself and a deep blue for Harry. "Here. Wear this." Harry looked at him. "What?" Draco asked defensively.

"Blue?"

"It'll look nice with your eyes," Draco murmured, lightly brushing Harry's bangs away from his eyes. Harry smiled before kissing him.

"You can change in here, Draco," he said. "I've got to go to the loo and talk to Hermione." He left and waved to Ron as he headed into the bathroom. He used the toilet, brushed his teeth, dressed quickly, and cast a small Disillusionment charm on the hickey before walking out into the kitchenette.

"Oh, you look nice today, Harry," Hermione complemented when she saw him.

"Thanks. Draco picked it out for me," Harry replied. Hermione grinned.

"Well, I'm happy to see someone in your relationship has some fashion sense," she snickered. Harry made a face at her.

"Oh, you're terribly funny. Listen, Draco and I are going to pop over to Diagon Alley to buy him a new wand," Harry said, picking up a buttered bagel and biting into it.

"Then to Albus?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, I want to see about getting Draco a job at Hogwarts," he replied. "Then we're going to get his clothes and such afterwards."

"I see. You two have gotten quite close these past few days," she remarked, taking a sip. Harry couldn't help but smile.

"He's really wonderful," he responded, blushing and ducking his head. He jumped when he felt strong arms encircle his waist.

"Well, I'm glad you've a reason to keep me around," Draco teased gently, his eyes soft. He rested his chin on Harry's shoulder and looked up at him. Harry grinned and twisted around to draw Draco next to him. Hermione smiled. She was thrilled to finally see her best friend so happy.

"Good morning, Draco," she greeted cheerily, holding out a glass of pumpkin juice. He looked at her, surprised, as he reached out and took the glass.

"Thanks . . . Hermione," he replied, his eyes sparkling. She shrugged and sat down next to Ron. He turned to Harry, smiling from ear to ear. Harry grinned back and kissed him.

"Ready?" Harry asked. Draco nodded.

"What about your ankle?" Hermione asked, turning around to look at the blonde.

"That's right. How is it?" Harry asked worriedly. They both looked down at Draco's feet.

"It's fine," Draco assured Harry and Hermione. He stuck his foot out in plain view and wiggled it around. "See? I'm a quick healer," he added cheekily.

"Really, now?" Harry teased. "Quick healer?"

"Now, I seem to remember a certain time in out third year when a certain blonde spent a good period of time with his arm in a sling," Ron called over his shoulder, finally deciding to join in with the friendly banter.

"Oh, please, you all knew I was exaggerating," Draco laughed. Hermione and Ron grinned as Harry lightly whacked Draco upside the head. "Ow! That hurt, you prick!" Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and began tickling as he attacked his neck with his lips. "Ahh! Oh, stop – Harry, stop, no – Help! Domestic abuse! Do—domes—tic a—ab—abuse!" Draco managed through uncontrollable giggles. Harry continued his attack until Draco had wilted into a ball on the linoleum floor. Harry straightened and pretended to dust off his hands. He looked down and nudged the curled-up blonde on the floor.

"I hate you," Draco announced as Harry helped him up.

"No, you don't," Harry told him.

"No, I don't," Draco agreed, kissing him. Ron averted his eyes at the sight and coughed uncomfortably. The two men broke and glanced at the redhead.

"Right, well, we're going to head out," Harry said, lacing his fingers with Draco's. "Give me a bell if you need to get a hold of me," he added as he and Draco headed out the door.

"Harry!" Hermione called. The raven-haired young man poked his head back in the flat. "Turn your mobile on." Harry dug in his pocket for a moment before pulling out his mobile phone and grinned sheepishly.

"Right . . . Got it . . ."

* * *

The sun was shining and the weather was beautiful as Harry and Draco walked hand-in-hand down the street. Neither was speaking, but merely enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Diagon Alley was several blocks from Harry's flat. The streets were less full than usual, everyone out enjoying the day with their friends and family. The two wizards had just turned the corner onto the street The Leaky Cauldron was hidden when they heard a voice call out from across the street. 

"Draco!"

The blonde turned at his name and peered at the owner of the voice. When he saw to whom it belonged, he paled visibly and began shaking.

"Draco? Draco, what's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly, pulling Draco to himself. The blonde buried his face in Harry's chest and clutched his shirt as he mumbled something. "What?"

"It's Frankie," Draco whispered, gazing into Harry's eyes, fear shining in his silver-grey orbs. Harry whipped around and immediately spotted the smirking snake of a man crossing the street.

"Come on, love," Harry murmured, wrapping his arm around Draco's waist and guiding him down the street. "Come on, we're nearly to the Leaky Cauldron," he whispered, lowering his voce to keep it from traveling to any nearby Muggles' ears.

"Just a minute!" Frankie called out. Harry could hear the club owner's footfalls as he ran to catch up. He grabbed onto Harry's shoulder and spun him around. Harry glared at him.

"What?" he snapped, his emerald eyes ice cold.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," Frankie informed him, leering at Draco. The blonde cringed and clutched the arm Harry extended in front of him.

"If you're referring to Draco—"

"I am."

"Go to hell!" Harry spat, his eyes flashing. "I'm not going to let you try and kill him again!" Frankie's self-control seemed to break and he lunged at Harry. The Boy Who Lived realized his intentions a second before and pushed Draco out of the way just in time. Harry fell to the ground with Frankie. He threw the unsavory character off of him and leapt to his feet to help Draco to his. He didn't notice Frankie standing. Draco did. He pushed Harry away from the line of Frankie's fist in time to catch it himself. He staggered and fell in the street. Harry's rage broke inside him. He grabbed the front of Frankie's shirt and slammed him into a building's wall.

"Don't. You. _Dare_. Touch him," Harry hissed through clenched teeth. He kneed Frankie and let go, catching a glimpse of the club owner doubling over as he hurried to Draco's side.

"That was an incredibly stupid thing to do, love," Harry told him, smiling as he assisted him to his feet.

"If I hadn't, you would've gotten hurt," Draco explained, glancing at Frankie wheezing on the ground.

"I'd have lived," Harry replied. "Come on, before the wanker regains the ability to stand straight."

He and Draco hurried the short distance down the block to The Leaky Cauldron. They stepped inside and looked around, for Draco the first time in years. It was just as he'd remembered. The smoky haze from the various pipes of the hags, the chatter of witches and wizards, the screeches of owls swooping around the room, everything was there. Harry guided Draco to a table and sat him down in the chair. He pulled out his wand and quickly healed the growing bruise on the blonde's cheek.

"There, now, come on and let's get you a wand," Harry said, straightening. Draco touched his cheek as he hopped to his feet. He and Harry wove through the crowd to the back of the inn. Harry tapped the correct bricks in the wall and stood back as they folded into themselves. Draco's breath sped up as he watched the magical marketplace reveal itself before him. He took several steps into the alley and stopped. Harry came and stood next to him.

"Draco, welcome to Diagon Alley," Harry said, closely watching the blonde.

"Harry, d'you realize I haven't set foot in here for four years?" Draco whispered, his eyes drinking in every sight.

"I know," Harry replied, smiling. "Come on."

They ventured into the alley, looking around at the various items for sale. They poked around for a bit in Eyelops Owl Emporium, had a look in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, and eagerly hurried into Quality Quidditch Supplies. Along the way, they met up with several of Harry's students: a fourth-year Ravenclaw, a seventh-year Gryffindor, and a few little second-year Hufflepuffs. They also saw one or two of Harry's Slytherin students that veered in the other direction at the sight of their young professor. Draco looked questioningly at Harry. The professor grinned.

"I hexed those two boys at the beginning of last year. They didn't believe I was serious about my teaching and kept disrupting class," Harry explained. Draco stared open-mouthed at him. "They weren't harmful hexes! Just little ones . . . that made it impossible for them to speak unless spoken to for a week . . ."

Somehow, they managed to drag themselves away from the brooms to make it to the little wand shop down the street. Ollivander's hadn't changed since their years at Hogwarts. The creaking sign still hung over the store and the solitary wand still lay on the faded cushion in the window display. They stepped over the threshold of the store and glanced around, their voices hushed as they conversed where Mr. Ollivander might be. They jumped when the wizened owner appeared suddenly at their elbow.

"Ah, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you two this afternoon?" he asked, steepling his fingers beneath his chin.

"I – I need a new wand," Draco stammered. Mr. Ollivander nodded and set off bustling around the shop. A moment later, he reappeared with five slender wand boxes in hand.

"Here. Nine and a quarter inches, supple, mahogany and unicorn hair. Give it a wave," Mr. Ollivander said, handing Draco the wand. Draco swish-and-flicked towards a teetering stack of books on a shelf behind the cluttered desk. All in the room ducked as the books shot off the shelf.

"Definitely not." Mr. Ollivander held his hand out for the wand and Draco hastily replaced it. The storeowner set it aside and reached for another wand. "Try this one. Thirteen and a half inches, maple and dragon heartstring, whippy."

Draco had hardly taken hold of the wand before Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand from him.

"Absolutely not. Not at all; what was I _thinking_?" Mr. Ollivander muttered under his breath. Harry and Draco glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing; the old man was getting even madder in his old age. He spun around and flourished a new wand.

"Give this a try. Holly and unicorn hair, seven and three-quarters inches, pliable."

Draco took hold of the wand and flicked it towards a cluster of wand boxes on a shelf above them. Harry yelped as they all fell on him.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked worriedly as he helped Harry up.

"Yeah, just . . . aim away from me next time," Harry replied ruefully. Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand out of Draco's hand and replaced it with another.

"Eleven and three-quarters inches, willow and phoenix feather, rather swishy. Go on," Mr. Ollivander urged. Draco raised it and flicked. A shower of silver and emerald green stars streamed from the tip of the wand. Harry grinned.

"Ever the Slytherin," he teased. He pulled out his money pouch to pay Mr. Ollivander the six Galleons the wand cost as Draco placed the wand in his pocket. They thanked the shop owner and headed out of the dusty shop into the sunshine. They stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for strawberry-and peanut butter ice cream cones. They finished them quickly as they looked in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Ages.

"We'll need to come back to get you some robes," Harry said as they reentered the Leaky Cauldron. They stepped into a small room and pulled out their wands. They Apparated to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and walked to the edge of the village, where, true to his word, there was a carriage, pulled by a pair of glossy black thestrals, waiting for them. Harry walked to the beasts as Draco stood by the open door.

"Hello, Romulus, Dialpha," Harry murmured, stroking the sleek coats. Draco walked up to him and placed an arm around his waist.

"You named them?" Draco asked. Harry looked at him.

"Just Dialpha," he replied. "Remus named Romulus after his brother. He died of a Muggle disease when he was young."

"Oh," was all the blonde could think of. Harry smiled at him. They gave the thestrals another pat and stepped into the carriage. The ride up to the castle went fairly quickly and soon, they were stepping out of the carriage in front of the massive school. Harry looked at Draco and smiled.

"Welcome back," he said, lacing his fingers with Draco's. The blonde grinned and they entered the castle.

"Harry! Oh, what are you doing here? We weren't expecting you until Sunday," the two men heard. They turned and saw Minerva McGonagall hurrying towards them from the Great Hall. She halted when she saw Draco. "Mr. Malfoy! What – How – You're alive!"

He smiled. "Very much so."

Minerva bustled forward and pulled Draco into a hug.

"Oh, it's absolutely wonderful to see you're all right!" she exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"It's lovely to see you, too, Professor," Draco replied, patting the older woman on the back a bit awkwardly. Minerva tutted.

"Nonsense, call me Minerva. After all, we'll soon be working together!" She beamed at the two before herding them towards the stairs. "Now, Albus is waiting upstairs for you. Get up there; go on!" Harry and Draco hurried up the stair to Dumbledore's griffin.

"Lemon drop," Harry announced. The griffin stepped aside and revealed the spiral moving staircase. The two men stepped on and rode in companionable silence to the top. Harry knocked three times on the door before it opened. Albus Dumbledore was standing in front of a brilliantly coloured phoenix, stroking its feathers. He turned as they stepped into the room and smiled warmly.

"Ah, Harry, Draco. Lovely to see you both again," he greeted kindly, gesturing to the plush chairs in front of his desk.

"Merlin, this reminds me of our years at school," Draco murmured to Harry.

"Now, Draco, it is my understanding you wish to join our esteemed teaching staff here at Hogwarts," Albus said, his blue eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles.

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"Wonderful. We have the perfect position for you," Albus told him. "What would you say to Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House?"

Draco's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"What happened to Severus?" Harry asked, astonished.

"Severus will still remain at Hogwarts, but I'm afraid . . . he is unfit to teach," Albus informed them. "You wouldn't believe how many owls I received from parents over the holidays saying their child was absolutely petrified of Severus. Having nightmares about him, even. I consulted several different students and decided it was time to remove him from the classroom. He will stay on to help develop new potions for the Ministry and also for classes. But he will not be teaching. If you accept, Draco, we would be delighted to have you join our staff."

Draco broke out into a huge grin.

"Of course I accept!" he exclaimed, laughing. Albus smiled as Harry laughed with the blonde man as Draco looked excitedly from Harry to Albus. "Thank you, Professor!"

"It's nothing, my dear sir," Albus replied, waving it off. "Now, Harry, why don't you show Draco your rooms so he might get acquainted with them."

Harry nodded. "Of cour—" He paused and stared at the headmaster. "How did you—?"

Albus placed a long finger against the side of his nose and smiled. He winked one twinkling blue eye and said nothing.

"You're a very confusing man, Albus," Harry told him. "But I will figure you out someday."

"Oh, I know you will, Professor, and I trust you'll let me know when you do; I confuse myself sometimes," Albus told him. He stood and shook both men's hands. Draco was radiating happiness as he skipped ahead of Harry down the spiral staircase. Harry stepped into the hallway to see Draco spinning around and laughing. He couldn't help but grin at the sight. Draco spotted him and ran over to him. Harry caught him and spun him around when the blonde threw his arms around his neck. Draco's eyes were shining when Harry set him back down.

"Harry, can you believe it?! I'm teaching here!" he exclaimed. Harry laughed.

"I know, I was there!" he teased. He caught Draco's hand and began tugging him down the hall. The blonde's enthusiasm was infectious! "Come on, I've got to show you to my – _our_ room."

They hurried to the third floor bedroom Harry had been living in for the past five years while teaching. They stopped in front of a portrait portraying a handsome young man and beautiful young lady playing cards.

"Well, 'ello, there, Harry!" the young man greeted brightly. The woman hit him on the arm with her fan, glaring at him. "Er – I mean, Professor Potter."

"Stupid prat. Not supposed to call him '_Harry'_ when he's talking with a student," the woman muttered under her breath.

"Student?" Draco repeated, mildly offended.

"Derrick, Liana, he's not a student," Harry corrected. "He's a new professor at Hogwarts. He'll be living here as well."

Derrick and Liana exchanged a sly look.

"Oh, I see."

"Of course."

Harry gave them a look that plainly told them to stop or else. "Let us in?"

"Of course, lovey. What's the password?" Liana asked, straightening in her chair and smoothing her skirts.

"Black Forever." She smiled and twinkled her fingers at the two men as the portrait door swung open to reveal a short passageway. Harry pulled Draco through to a large living room. It was dressed in deep reds and golds, but also with hints of greens and silvers. Draco turned to give Harry a raised eyebrow. Instead, he saw the other man was just as surprised.

"Someone redecorated," Harry stated. Draco grinned.

"Dumbledore, of course," he said.

"Sneaky bastard," Harry muttered lightly. "He knew you'd accept and he knew we were together."

"Yes, well, he's a smart sneaky bastard," Draco added, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him closer. Harry grinned before he kissed Draco, long and slowly. He moved his lips down Draco's neck, stopping to lick at his collarbone. He suddenly blew a loud raspberry against the pale skin, causing the blonde to yelp and giggle. Harry then showed Draco the bathroom and finally, the bedroom. Draco walked into the comfortable room, looking around. He spotted the bed in the middle of the room and, grinning, ran to leap onto the bed, exclaiming, "This is so cool!" Harry grinned and laid down next to him, pulling him into his arms.

"This is where we'll be living for the next ten months," Draco whispered.

"Yes, it is, so why don't we not spend our last days of the summer here?" Harry suggested. Draco grinned and bounced off the bed.

"Well, come on, then, you've still got to buy me some robes so I don't look like a total prat," he replied, pulling Harry off the bed.

* * *

They returned to Diagon Alley and bought Draco several sets of robes: four black, three dark blue, and three in a deep green. Draco insisted on the green being trimmed with silver "to represent his 'Head-of-Houseness'." 

"Draco, that's not a word, 'Head-of-Houseness'," Harry objected as they left the robe shop.

"It is, too! I just said it, therefore, it's a word," Draco argued, shrinking his packages and slipping them into his pocket. He and Harry walked out into the sunshine of the Muggle world, hand-in-hand, bickering like an old married couple on the subject of Draco's made up words all the way to the blonde's old flat. Finally, Harry gave up and allowed Draco to have his word as they walked up the stairs. Draco threw his arms up in victory, Harry wrapping his arms around him and attacking his neck with his lips. Draco was laughing as they turned the corner. He suddenly fell silent and stared down the hall. Harry stopped his assault and followed his gaze.

"Draco, who is that?" he whispered, tightening his hold on the blonde. The both stared at the young man sitting dejectedly on the floor, his head hanging.

"Bloody hell," Draco breathed, lightly touching Harry's hand. The young man looked up, his blue eyes bloodshot and shimmering with tears, his chestnut brown hair lank and disheveled.

"Draco!" he cried, his voice breaking.

"Bloody hell!" Draco repeated, his eyes wide. "Eric!" He pulled out of Harry's embrace and hurried to his friend. Harry quickly doused a flame of jealousy at seeing Draco hug the other dancer. "Come on, let's get inside," the blonde suggested, shooting Harry an urgent look. Harry hastened over and jimmied the lock to the flat. Draco had left his keys in his bag, which was still at the club. He had no intention of going back to get it. They hurried inside once the door was open and sat Eric on the sofa, Draco with him and Harry at the stove, heating water for tea. Eric was staring in awe at Draco. He reached out and lightly brushed the blonde's face with his fingertips.

"Draco . . . it's been _two days_," he whispered hoarsely. "How . . .?"

Draco glanced around uneasily for a moment before his gaze landed on Harry, watching the exchange anxiously. His eyes softened and he smiled.

"I found an angel and he gave me a miracle," Draco replied.

"Damn it, Draco, I've been worried sick!" Eric exclaimed. "Frankie was furious the other day when he heard you got away."

"How did he hear that?" Harry asked sharply, walking around the couch to sit next to Draco, placing an arm around his waist. The teakettle whistled feebly, its boiling water completely forgotten.

"He threatened to . . . castrate Greg if he didn't tell him what happened to you when he went to see your body and there wasn't one," Eric explained. All three men shuddered at the thought. Eric looked at Draco and Harry curiously. "You're not coming back, are you?"

Draco shook his head slowly. "No, I'm not. I've received a job offer to teach at my old school . . . and I've accepted."

"Where is it? Is it close by?"

"No," Draco repeated. "I'm moving in with Harry. He teaches there as well. We just came back here to get my clothes."

"Oh, babe, I'm going to miss you so much," Eric murmured, hugging the blonde tightly. He kissed Draco's cheek and stood. "I've got to go. My shift starts soon." He looked at Harry. "If you hurt him in any way, I _will_ find you."

That said, he turned and quickly left the apartment, dashing away a few tears as he did. Harry looked over at Draco and pulled him close.

"Don't worry, love, I won't," he whispered into Draco's silky locks, kissing his forehead. Draco smiled weakly at him and burrowed into his arms, his own slipping around Harry's waist. They remained in each other's embraces until Harry noticed the setting sun through the window. "We'd better get going before Hermione decides to send out a search party."

Draco nodded and led Harry into his bedroom, where they quickly threw the blonde's appropriate clothes into a suitcase. Once everything that was needed had been collected, Draco ran downstairs to the landlord's room and slipped a note under the door, telling him to sell or give away anything left in his apartment. With everything taken care of, Draco felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. He took Harry's hand and led him out into the fading sunlight. There was enough light left, however, to illuminate a tear making its way down his cheek.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly, dropping the suitcase and cradling the blonde's face in his hands.

"Nothing's wrong. For the first time in years, I'm finally happy," Draco replied softly, looking up at him. Harry smiled and leaned in to capture Draco's lips in a sweet kiss.

"I'm glad I could help," he murmured. Just then, his mobile phone rang. He cursed as he dug in his pocket, finally pulling out the little phone. "Hello?"

"_Where are you two? You haven't been kidnapped or arrested or anything, have you?! What's taking you so long? You've been gone all day! I'm worried sick! I was just—_"

"Hermione, Hermione, relax, we're both fine, we're heading home now, we'll see you soon, bye!" Harry called as he quickly turned the phone off. He glanced sheepishly at Draco, who was grinning widely. They both started laughing. "We'd better get going, I guess," Harry suggested, grabbing hold of Draco's hand and picking up the suitcase with his other hand.

"Preferably before Hermione pulls all of her hair out," Draco added as they began running down the street.

Author's Notes: Wow, fifteen pages!!!! That's my longest chapter ever!!! Yay, me!!! And yes, I did borrow Draco's little leaping-onto-the-bed-and-"This is so cool!" from the Princess Diaries 2. That's such a cute movie, I had to!

Don't forget, I love getting emails (see my bio--apparently has decided to suck and not allow emails to be shown...meh.) and IMs (DanceLuvr723) from readers!!!! Review, my darlings!!!!!!!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Dedications: Lor-dy. To all those that didn't think Frankie would give up that easily. Rather surprising, actually . . .

Warnings: And now we go over to Khrystyne with the weather for the upcoming chapter. Khrystyne?  
Thanks, Mary. Well, folks, we've got a few storms ahead, so watch out for the rape in this chapter. It _will_ pass, however, so keep an eye out for warm days and sunny skies coming soon. Back to you, Mary!

Author's Notes: . . . eye twitch I just wrote my warnings as a weather report. In religion class, no less. Anyway, guys, if you're seriously bothered by rape (like, _seriously_ can't read it at all – mine is relatively mild, as far as rape goes), I have labeled the section so you can skip over it if you want.

Thank yous!!!!!

To Noename: Oh, I love you. Your reviews were so nice!!! I've decided to join you in dancing of Frankie's face; that sounds like fun. ::grins:: Enjoy chapter 7!!!

To Paige: I'm so glad you like the fic so far!! Hope chapter 7 meets your expectations!!

To cottoncandy: You're so sweet!!! Hope you enjoy chapter 7 as much as the rest!!!

To godric1: Thanks so much for your review! The chapters will hopefully be between 10 and 20 pages from now one (if I can sit my lazy ass down to write 20 pages . . . .). Enjoy!!!

To NiimuraYume: Oh, my goodness, you're way too nice to me. Trust me, I have a lot planned for Frankie . . . even though I hate him. Didn't ever think it was possible for me to hate an original character, but I did it!!! ::joins the party:: Okay, time to update!!

To Slash-Lover: Love the penname (me too!!). Don't worry about Frankie, he's still in the picture . . . Enjoy!!!

To Sheyda: Thanks so much for your review! Totally love how you described our main men: Delicious Draco and Handsome Harry. Perfect!!! Hehehe, there definitely will be naughtiness at Hogwarts . . . ::eyes glaze over at thoughts of chapters to come:: Enjoy chapter 7!!

To twistedlife3000: Oh, I'm so glad you like the fic!! Don't swoon yet; I've got a chapter I think _everyone_ will like coming up relatively soon!!! Enjoy, m'dear!!

To ice: Thank you so much for your review!! As for Eric, I have a few vague ideas I have to hammer out, but he'll be floating around, here and there . . . ::grins:: Hope this chapter meets your expectations!!!

To zoomaphonethepirate: Thanks so much for your review!!! Enjoy!!

To Layce74: Thanks for your review! Hope you like this chapter as much as the others!!

To Isis-mystic: Thanks for your review! I was just disappointed I couldn't whack Frankie around myself! But Harry got the job done . . . Lol, Draco/Harry is my favourite ship. They're just so darn cute; I can't see how anyone doesn't like them . . . Don't think that was grammatically correct, but whatever. Enjoy!!

To moonlit-shadow0x: I was able to find a picture of Tom Felton as Draco (from the third movie) and I used the Paint program on my laptop to draw the eyeliner on him. It's kinda crude, but you can definitely get the gist of what he would look like if he actually wore eyeliner!!! Enjoy chapter 7!!

Massive thank you: My wonderful beta, Winde, who yelled at me to get my "proverbial rear in gear". You're the best; I don't know what I'd do without you!!! ::mwah!::

Chapter 7

The next few days found Draco and Harry sitting down and mapping out their respective lesson plans, realizing they were running out of time. They finally finished the day before Albus needed the lesson plans and sent them off with Hedwig. That night, they, Ron, and Hermione went out to dinner in Muggle London, celebrating Draco's job and mourning the end of the summer holidays.

The morning of August 30th, the day they were needed back at Hogwarts, came on warm breezes and bright sunshine, finding the original trio at the flat rushing around packing, Hermione panicking and scolding herself for procrastinating. Draco sat curled up on the couch as he sipped a cup of tea, watching the others rush around. He hadn't unpacked in the few days since he and Harry had recovered his things. Finally, everything they needed for the next ten months was packed up. They cast shrinking charms on their luggage and slipped them in their pockets. Albus was providing the Hogwarts Express for all the teachers in the area, albeit a slightly smaller Express.

They walked down the stairs, where Harry knocked on the door of one of the first floor flats. Harry began speaking with a woman that had popped her head out the door. After a moment, she nodded and smiled. She shook Harry's hand and waved at Draco, Ron, and Hermione. They waved back and then she was gone. Harry rejoined the others and the left the building, starting off down the sidewalk. Draco linked arms with Harry and looked at him.

"Who was that you were talking to?" he asked curiously as they walked to King's Cross.

"Our landlady, Harry replied. "I told her we were leaving today and wouldn't be back for near ten months." He looked at Draco. "She thinks we work at a boarding school, a Muggle one."

"Oh. Well, she's almost got it right," Draco replied. They were making good time and were only several blocks away from the train station. Harry and Draco were walking arm-in-arm behind Ron and Hermione, fighting down giggles. Hermione was ranting to Ron about an article in _Charmed Monthly_. He however, wasn't listening. He was staring off into space, his eyes glassy. Harry bumped into an older man accidentally as they walked along and gave a sort of half-smile at him. The man caught Draco's eye and leered. The blonde clutched Harry's hand and murmured softly.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly.

"The man that just passed was one of the people Frankie sold me to," Draco whispered, shaking. Harry looked up sharply; the man was standing right in front of him.

"Hey, Dragon," the man greeted, chuckling. "Someone's been looking for you."

"No, no," Draco whimpered, tears slipping from his control.

"Draco, come on. We've got to go or else we'll be late," Harry told him, curling an arm around his waist as he glared at the other man. They turned back to Ron and Hermione, who were wearing questioning looks of their faces. Harry shook his head slightly and they continued down the block, leaving the greasy man behind, Harry struggling to calm Draco. They quickened their pace and made it around the corner. Hermione took Harry's spot next to Draco as the Defense professor stepped up next to Ron, speaking to the redhead heatedly. They heard a gasp and a shout behind them and whipped around. Hermione was on the ground, a red handprint blooming on her cheek. She was holding her eyes and breathing shallowly.

"Hermione! What happened?" Ron exclaimed, dropping to his knees.

"Where's Draco, Hermione?" Harry asked urgently, kneeling as well.

"Two men . . . threw some sort of powder in my eyes . . . hit me . . . I couldn't see, I'm so sorry, Harry. I don't know where Draco went!" she cried, falling into Ron's arms. Harry's heart dropped to the vicinity of his toes.

"Draco!" he shouted, jumping up. "_Draco_!" He backtracked down the sidewalk to where Draco's unwanted customer had accosted them, Ron staying behind with Hermione. When he didn't hear or see anything unusual, he let out a frustrated cry and raced back to where his friends were. Ron glanced up at him, a strange sort of sympathy shining in his eyes. Harry refused to acknowledge it; he knew Draco was around here somewhere.

He heard a crash nearby and whipped his head around. He spotted the mouth of an alley and charged into it, ignoring Hermione and Ron. He turned a corner of the alley and was caught by two heavily muscled men. Straight ahead, Draco was lying on the ground, his hands bound and tied to a stack of boxes lying haphazardly. It broke Harry's heart to see Draco's face contorted with pain, tears streaking down his face.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," Harry heard. From the shadows next to Draco, a figure emerged, and Harry fought down the bile rising in his throat.

"Frankie, you bastard, why are you doing this?!" Harry demanded, struggling against his captors.

"To show you up," the club owner hissed. "I told you I'd get my best dancer back."

Harry felt his blood run cold. This was his fault? Draco was tied up on the ground, in pain, because of him? He caught Draco's eye as Frankie rambled on and felt tears of his own slip free. It _was_ his fault.

_Draco, love, I'm so incredibly sorry_, Harry thought to himself. He was suddenly aware of Frankie stepping rather rudely into his personal space.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at the other man. Frankie raised an eyebrow.

"You missed the best part of my speech. About how I'm going to break your little boyfriend so badly, he'll never recover," Frankie mock-whispered into Harry's ear. As the club owner moved away and his hands went to the belt buckle on his pants, Harry's eyes widened with realization and he struggled evermore against those holding him back.

_**(CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING!!!!! Scroll down a teeny bit until you see more uppercase, bolded, italic-ed, underlined wording. That'll be the end of the rape scene.)**_

"You sick son of a bitch!" Harry raged, earning himself a blow to the stomach. He doubled over and tried to remember how to breathe. The bodyguards yanked him up straight and a sob escaped his lips as he saw Frankie ripping Draco's clothes from his body. The blonde squirmed on the ground, only to be stilled by Frankie's mouth covering his own. Harry saw Frankie stabbing his tongue into Draco's mouth. The blonde screwed up his face and bit, hard, into Frankie's lower lip. The club owner yelled and pulled away, touching his fingers to his lip and coming away bloodstained. He looked down at them and gave a sort of evil grin, his eyes flicking over to Draco lying exposed on the ground.

"Now, _that_ was not a terribly smart move, Dragon," Frankie hissed, pulling his pants off. He dug in a pocket of his discarded jeans for a moment and retrieved a tube of lubricant, shoving it in Draco's face. "I'm assuming that means you don't want anything to . . . _ease_ the way," he sneered, tossing the tube aside. Draco's eyes widened in terror as he watched the owner grin maliciously at him.

"No . . . no, please, Frankie, stop, don't, please, don't—" A pain-filled scream was ripped from Draco's throat as Frankie brutally slammed unprepared into him.

Harry began sobbing freely as he struggled in vain to reach the blonde. He was helpless. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. His anger grew with each of Frankie's thrusts and his heart broke all over again with each of Draco's broken gasps and sobs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Frankie climaxed and relaxed, slipping out of Draco. He sat back and grinned lazily as he dressed. Harry hung his head. It was over. He and Draco could leave, and Harry would make sure nothing would ever happen to Draco again. Suddenly, he heard a blood-curdling scream and snapped his head up. Frankie had dug his fingers into Draco's sensitised channel and was curling them about. Harry renewed his fight against the bodyguards with renewed vigor. Unfortunately, the two seemed to be all muscle and not much else. Harry's eyes blazed and the two muscle-morons were gone, plastered against the walls of the alley.

He charged at Frankie as he smeared his release across Draco's cheek, the club owner laughing to himself at the sight of Draco sobbing brokenly. Harry hit Frankie at full-force and they tumbled into the crates. Harry's Seeker reflexes helped him dart out of the way just before the boxes fell on top of Frankie. Harry crawled the short distance to where Draco was tied. He only then became aware of Ron's and Hermione's shouts as he pulled off his sweater and draped it over Draco's lower body. Tears still running down his face, he ripped desperately at the ropes around Draco's wrists until he gave up and used his wand.

"Draco, my love, it's okay, you're all right, you're safe now," Harry whispered, gathering Draco into his arms. Draco glanced up at him and shuddered. He launched himself into Harry's arms and sobbed.

_**(COME BACK, MY DARLINGS!!!!! Okies, you're all set. Not very long, was it??)**_

"Harry?! Harry, what's going on? Harry!" he heard Ron shout.

"Ron, Hermione, hurry!" Harry yelled back, his voice breaking. He only half-heard Hermione's Knockback Jinx and their thudding footsteps. He heard Hermione's scream quite clearly, however.

"_Harry!_"

He looked up and his jaw caught Frankie's fist. He let Draco go, not wanting him to get hurt any more, and fell back, determined to beat Frankie senseless. He sprang to his feet and dove at the club owner. They rolled around for a time until a well-aimed blow hit Harry's eye. His restraint broke and he whipped out his wand, placing the tip under Frankie's chin, ignoring Hermione's cries and Ron's warnings.

"Now, you may think this is just a bit of wood, but trust me, _mate_, you're greatly mistaken," Harry growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. He pressed his wand harder against Frankie's throat. "I could kill you with a few quick words and no one would be any the wiser."

Frankie's eyes widened in fear.

"Harry . . ." came a weak voice. Harry whipped his head around to see Draco struggling to sit up, pain lancing through his features. "Just let him go."

Harry hesitated, then nodded. He turned back to Frankie and shook him violently.

"Now, get the bloody hell out of here," he ordered from behind clenched teeth, "Before I change my mind."

He placed his wand back in his pocket and stepped back as Frankie scrambled away. His two bodyguards were still out cold. Hermione, her own wand in hand, waved it and muttered, "_Obliviate_!" Frankie's eyes went glassy as the spell took effect. Ron hurried over and pushed him out of the alley as Harry turned, dropping to his knees next to Draco.

"Hermione, I need a wet cloth," Harry said tersely, surveying Draco's face and body. He heard her murmur the necessary words and she handed him a damp cloth. "You two had better get to the train and tell them to wait until we get there, or we'll all get left behind. Ron and Hermione nodded, looking a bit worried, but left hurrying from the alley. Harry smiled softly at Draco as he swept the cloth over the blonde's face.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Draco whispered as Harry pulled him into his arms.

"For what, love?" Harry asked, smoothing Draco's sweat-dampened hair.

"For involving you in my screwed-up life," he replied quietly. Harry leant down and gently kissed the ex-Slytherin.

"Draco, darling, I want to be here, with you," Harry told him, wrapping his arms around the vulnerable young man. "It doesn't matter whether you're a dancer with a bad past or a three-legged hippogriff that likes to eat mean Muggles, I'm going to stay with you."

Draco chuckled and embraced Harry tightly.

"Thank you," he whispered, kissing Harry's cheek.

Harry smiled. "Now, we'd better hurry so the Express doesn't leave without us. But get up slowly, carefully."

Draco grimaced and attempted to hoist himself into a sitting position. His face drained of all color and he sank back to the ground.

"Right, I did say _slowly_, yeah?" Harry murmured.

"Now would not be the time to start acting like Hermione, Harry," Draco advised him, his face still ashen.

Harry chuckled. He carefully helped Draco into his shirt and then sat back, contemplating what to do next. Finally, he sighed and decided. "Um, Draco, this is going to be a bit uncomfortable, but . . . I've got to check you and make sure you're all right."

Draco closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, fine. What's more humiliation when you've just been raped in front of your boyfriend?" he asked dejectedly.

Harry remained silent for a moment before reaching out and caressing Draco's cheek.

"Sweetheart, I just want to make sure you're okay, and you'll be able to walk," Harry told him gently. "We've still got to walk the last few blocks to King's Cross."

Draco said nothing, but nodded. Harry, wanting to spare the blonde any further embarrassment possible, used only quick glances to cast his healing and cleansing charms. He then helped Draco sit up and slip his pants on. With Harry's aid, Draco managed to stand and buckle his trousers. They slowly started out towards the street, Draco leaning heavily on Harry's support, when suddenly he halted.

"Draco? What's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly. Draco was staring at the turn of the alley, terror shining in his eyes.

"Harry, what if Frankie's waiting for me out there?" he whispered fearfully.

"Then I'll kill him," Harry replied simply, kissing his forehead.

"Harry, I'm serious," Draco chastised him, hanging his head.

"So am I," Harry told him gently. Seemingly strengthened a bit by this, Draco nodded and the two started out of the alley again. As they approached the mouth of the alley, Harry tightened his arm around Draco's waist and peered about watchfully. However, Frankie was nowhere to be seen. Draco sighed with relief and grasped Harry's hand. They hurried as fast as they could without it being too painful for Draco to King's Cross and slipped through the barrier to platform nine and three-quarters. They found Hermione pacing back and forth, wringing her hands nervously, and Ron speaking to someone already on the scarlet train. Hermione spotted them and rushed over.

"Are you two all right?!" she asked, fussing over Draco. "I've been worried sick!"

"We're fine. Let's just get on the train," Harry murmured, looking at Draco concernedly. Hermione bit her lip and nodded.

"Harry, over here, mate!" Ron called as the train emitted a high-pitched whistle and a plume of smoke. Harry, Hermione, and Draco made their way over to the open door. Hermione jumped in and helped Ron pull Draco in. Harry leapt into the carriage and slammed the door shut behind him. The train blew its whistle again and set off. Harry stumbled into the compartment and was surprised to see several of his friends and fellow professors. Ginny Weasley was sitting next to Neville Longbottom and across the aisle were Seamus Finnegan and his boyfriend Dean Thomas. Remus Lupin was sitting in the seat in front of Ginny and Neville. Harry smiled at them in greeting, but ignored their stares and headed over to the seat Draco was sitting in, pain flitting across his face at every bump and turn.

"Draco, how are you doing?" Harry asked quietly, sitting next to the blonde. He looked up at Harry, his face drawn.

"Would it bother you to take a moment and kill me?" Draco asked in a strained voice. Harry smiled softly and pulled Draco to him.

"Never. Don't worry, I'll take care of you, love," Harry whispered, stroking the blonde's hair. Draco sighed tiredly and closed his eyes, resting his hand on Harry's chest. The compartment remained silent as Harry shifted his position, sitting with his back up against the window and Draco lying protectively in his arms. He held Draco close until the blonde's breathing evened and he finally succumbed to the whims of slumber. Then, his friends spoke.

"Harry . . . what is going on?" Ginny asked in a hushed tone. "This is _Malfoy_."

"No. He's changed, Ginny," Harry replied, shaking his head. "He's had a hard couple of years."

"How . . .? What happened?" Ginny questioned, staring at the sleeping young man in Harry's arms. And so Harry set off on his tale of all that had happened since he and Ron had ventured to the Blue Moon.

"Right, so, Malfoy was a stripper and nearly got himself killed and you rescued him, is that about right?" Seamus asked skeptically after it was over, an eyebrow raised.

"More or less," Harry answered, nodding.

"But it still doesn't explain why he's like . . . _that_," Neville interrupted, regarding Draco nervously, as though he might awake any moment and hex him into oblivion. Harry hesitated before answering.

"Draco . . . don't say anything to him when he wakes up, but Draco was attacked on our way to King's Cross," Harry told them quietly.

"_What_?!?"

"His old boss, Frankie Larose, grabbed him, dragged him into an alley, and raped him," Harry continued, his voice thick.

"Is that how you got that black eye?" Dean asked, pointing. Harry frowned as he looked at Dean quizzically.

"What are you going on about?" he asked, confused.

""Your eye. It's all bruised," Dean told him. Ginny silently pulled out a compact mirror and passed it over to Harry. He winced as he looked at his reflection, a large part of the mirror dominated by a bluish-black bruise.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he replied, grimacing.

"Harry, d'you want me to . . ." Hermione trailed off, fingering her wand.

Harry shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Consider it my war wound." He said, resting his cheek against Draco's forehead and closing his eyes, sighing. The rest of the teachers in the compartment quietly began talking amongst themselves. Harry pulled Draco closer and pressed a soft kiss to his temple. Ginny saw this and excused herself from her conversation with Hermione, Neville, and Remus, sidling over to the seat across from Harry and Draco. Harry opened his eyes a bit and smiled at her.

"Hey, Gin." She returned the smile.

"Hey, Harry." She looked at Draco, his head lying on Harry's shoulder and his hand resting on his stomach. "How's he doing?"

Harry looked down at him and shrugged with one shoulder. "He seems to be doing okay. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to know for sure."

"Why have you—" She cut herself off and hesitated. "Harry, how did . . . _this_ happen?" she asked gesturing to the tangled limbs.

"I don't know, honestly," he replied softly. "It just . . . did."

"Do you love him?" Ginny asked bluntly, staring at him. Her question caught Harry off guard, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before glancing down at Draco. His eyes softened as, enveloped still in slumber, the blonde stirred and buried his face in the crook of Harry's neck, sighing. Harry smiled and looked back up at Ginny, who was watching him intently.

"I'm not sure, but I think I'm starting to," he whispered, brushing a lock of hair away from Draco's face. The hard glint fell away from Ginny's eyes and she seemed to be fighting within herself.

"Are you sure he won't hurt you?" she asked worriedly.

"Positive."

Ginny's defensive expression finally died off and she kissed Harry's cheek, hugging him carefully so not to wake up Draco.

"If you're sure, I'll support you," she told him, smiling warmly. Then her face darkened. "But if he hurts you in any way, I'll kill him with my bare hands."

Harry chuckled. "Love you, too, Gin."

She smiled at him and bounced back to her seat next to Neville. Harry smiled in spite of the threat and laid his against Draco's forehead again, holding him close.

"You're stealing my heart and you don't even know it," Harry whispered, almost inaudibly.

* * *

The next thing Harry was aware of was a hand resting on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw blurred shapes. Then someone handed him his glasses. He placed them over his eyes and looking up at Hermione smiling softly at him.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she teased.

"I fell asleep?" Harry asked groggily, rubbing his eyes. Hermione grinned.

"Yeah. And no, Draco hasn't woken yet," she added as Harry opened his mouth. He closed it and smiled tiredly. "But you'd better wake him up soon. We're nearly at school."

Harry nodded and she walked away. He looked down at Draco and smiled softly, unable to help the feeling of happiness that he felt as he gazed at the blonde beauty. He rubbed one hand lazily over his back and kissed his brow.

"Draco, darling, it's time to wake up. We're almost at Hogwarts," he murmured. He smiled when he saw Draco's eyes flutter and open slightly, silvery-grey eyes clouded with sleep. "Hello."

Draco smiled and yawned, then sat up a bit so he was next to Harry, leaning against the window. Harry placed his arm around Draco's shoulder, kissing his temple.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked quietly. Draco's gaze dropped and he fidgeted with his fingers.

"The last time something like . . . that happened, I was plagued with nightmares for weeks," he replied softly. "But this time . . . I felt safe." He looked at Harry, tears shining in his eyes. "Thank you."

Harry smiled sadly and pulled Draco into his lap.

"Love, you never need thank me for anything. I'll always be here for you," he whispered hoarsely, kissing the blonde sweetly. Draco framed Harry's face with his hands and touched their foreheads together.

"This may sound stupid and preemptive, but I think I'm well on my way of falling for you," he told Harry. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor felt his heart soar and stole a kiss.

"It's neither stupid nor preemptive, as I feel the same way," Harry told him, giddiness bubbling up inside his chest. Draco's face lit up and he grinned. Harry swooped in and captured Draco's lips in a deep kiss, pouring his every emotion into the expression. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and nipped at his full lower lip. Harry pulled him flush against his body and dove into his mouth, their tongues dueling. Harry tangled his hand in Draco's hair and inwardly marveled at the softness of the silken strands. Draco pulled away suddenly and buried his face in Harry's neck. He kissed it softly and murmured something unintelligible.

"What was that?" Harry asked softly, wrapping his arms around the blonde.

"I said, I want you to know that no matter what you say or what happens to us, you will _always_ be my saviour and I'm eternally thankful, I always will be," Draco told Harry seriously, tears shining unshed in his silver eyes. Harry found the words had rendered him speechless and just pulled Draco close, holding him tightly.

"Harry . . ." The two men looked up and saw Hermione standing there timidly. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but we're pulling into Hogsmeade Station."

Harry nodded and she hurried away. He looked at Draco and grinned.

"Are you ready to rejoin the madness that is Hogwarts?" he asked cheekily.

"More than ever," Draco replied excitedly, laughing. Harry stood and held out his hands to pull him to his feet. The blonde's face paled and he clutched Harry's arms tightly.

"Hermione!" Harry called warningly. She hurried over immediately and helped Draco sit back down. "What can we do?" he asked worriedly, sitting next to the blonde.

"I suppose . . . This will definitely feel odd, but there is one spell I can think of that will keep the pain at bay until we can get Poppy to see you," she murmured, pulling out her wand. She swish-and-flicked said stick of wood, muttering a few choice words under her breath. Draco's eyes widened.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Harry fussed.

"I don't think I've ever had my arse numbed before," Draco told him honestly.

"_WHAT_?"

"Harry, relax. I just cast a temporary Numbing Charm, for about forty-five minutes, just long enough to get him up to the castle, so he'll be able to stomach the Thestral ride up to Hogwarts without discomfort," Hermione explained, inwardly considering the very real fact she might have to sedate her friend to get him to stop yelling.

"Without discomfort?!? He can't feel his bloody arse!!" Harry exclaimed, staring at Hermione as though she desperately needed a visit to St. Mungo's.

"Harry . . ." Draco interrupted, catching hold of Harry's hand. "I'll be fine. Let's just go."

Harry visibly calmed and he nodded. Draco stood up and swayed on his feet. Harry caught him before he fell to the floor, steadying him.

"Definitely haven't ever felt anything this unnatural," Draco stated conversationally, grinning. Harry frowned disapprovingly, but said nothing. They followed Hermione, Ron, and the others off the train to the edge of the village. Draco and Harry clambered into a carriage by themselves, while Ron and Hermione joined Neville and Ginny n theirs. Draco curled up against Harry's side. After a few moments, the carriage started off. The Defense professor pulled Draco into his lap and kissed him deeply.

"What was that for?" the blonde asked breathlessly when they parted.

"I nearly lost you," Harry whispered. Draco smiled sadly and traced a finger down Harry's face. He leaned in and captured Harry's lips in a sweet kiss. It quickly grew from a light touch of the lips to something much more intense. Draco ravaged Harry's mouth with a ferocity he hadn't ever seen in the blonde before. Harry wrapped his arms around the lithe young man and pulled him close as the searing kiss continued. The carriage they occupied suddenly took a sharp turn and they both tumbled off the seat. Draco tried to stifle his giggles by hiding his face in Harry's shirt.

"What on earth is so funny?" Harry asked incredulously.

"D'you think that was McGonagall's way of telling us to stop?" the blonde choked out. Harry burst out laughing and relaxed on the floor for the rest of the ride, deciding he was too lazy to pick himself up. Draco disagreed and flopped onto the cushioned seat, facedown. The rest of the ride up to the castle was spent in silence as one of Draco's hands drifted down to Harry's chest and began tracing indifferent designs through the shirt against the sculpted skin.

The remainder of the ride passed fairly quickly and the carriages soon stopped in front of the castle. The door to their carriage opened and bright sunlight streamed in.

"Why are you on the floor?" Hermione asked incredulously, staring at Harry.

"I fell." Draco snorted. Hermione looked at him.

"Why is he on the floor?"

"Magical repercussions." It was Harry's turn to start laughing as they scrambled out of the carriage. Harry wound an arm around Draco's waist to help and they started up the steps with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Remus. The door opened and Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore stepped out. Minerva shot Draco and Harry a reproachful look as the group of teachers approached.

"Really, boys . . ." she muttered, turning and leading them inside while Albus struck up a conversation with Remus and Neville. Draco and Harry looked at each other, wide-eyed, before dissolving into laughter. Hermione and Ron glanced at them oddly.

"What on earth are you two laughing at?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing you'd understand," Draco managed to choke out. Hermione sighed and everyone entered the castle. Harry spoke with Albus for a moment before motioning to Draco.

"What's going on?" the blonde asked as he reached Harry's side.

"Come on, you've got to go see Poppy," Harry told him, guiding him up the stairs. They were less than five minutes away from the Hospital Wing when the Numbing Charm ended and Draco collapsed against the wall, pain shooting through him.

"Draco?! What's wrong?" Harry asked urgently dropping to his knees as Draco slid to the floor. "Oh, no. Hermione's spell wore off . . ." he muttered to himself.

"It hurts so much . . ." Draco whispered, a tear slipping free.

"Bloody hell . . . come on, love, we're nearly there. Come on, I'll help you, just hold on for a few more minutes, can you do that for me?" Harry asked softly. Draco winced, but nodded. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's waist and held him tightly, one of the blonde's arms around Harry's shoulders. After a few painfully long minutes, the Hospital Wing came into sight. "_Poppy_!" Harry shouted. The mediwitch ran out a moment later, her hair falling out of its meticulous bun.

"Oh, what happened?!" she exclaimed. Then a double take as she realized who it was. "_Draco Malfoy_?!"

"Yes, he's alive. Oh, my, look at him. Now, get a bed ready. Hurry!" Harry ordered. Poppy nodded and raced into the ward. Harry and Draco passed through the doorway a few moments later and made their way over to the bed the nurse was hurriedly setting up. Harry laid the blonde down on the crisp sheets and dropped into a nearby chair, scooting it right up to the bed.

"Mr. Potter, what happened?" Poppy hissed as she pulled out a dozen different salves, stacking them on the bedside table.

"He was raped," Harry whispered, almost inaudibly. Poppy's mouth dropped open and she bustled about, setting up a tray towards the lower half of the bed, getting ready for Draco's examination. Harry turned back to the pale ex-Slytherin and smoothed the blonde locks.

"Harry . . ."

"I'm right here, Draco. I'm not going to leave, I promise," he murmured softly, taking the blonde's hand. Draco looked up at him and, holding the Defense professor's hand tightly, fell into an uneasy sleep after being given a draft from Poppy. Harry looked up at the mediwitch, his eyes unusually bright.

"Help him . . . please . . ."

She said nothing, but nodded fervently.

Author's Notes: Not exactly a happy ending, but oh well . . . REVIEW!!!!!

More Author's Notes: All right, everyone, we have . . . a website! (Finally . . .) It's rather small at the moment, but I have full confidence in all of you that you'll send in your work (please?) – as of ::checks watch:: right now, it's just my fics ::grins::). The website can be found at www. ladyofthehearts. com (minus the spaces). I hope, once we get off the ground, to have polls, image galleries, beta lists, and fiction contests, in a loose sense of the word (if I can figure out how to get polls and image galleries – anyone care to help??). I also hope to be able to give each author their own board.

I just have a few requests for all of you: please, please, _please_ don't post your fics directly onto the forums. I need to set up a board for you first. So I ask you to instead email your fics to me two to four chapters at a time (do _not_ send me a while 24-chapter fic at once; it takes bloody forever to post that much all at once and I just won't post it). Once I set up your board and post the first chapters, I will email you and then you are free to sent me the next few chapters. I must ask you to please follow the requirements on the "Submissions" page. I'd appreciate it greatly if you'd include them in the first chapter of your fic.

Please don't think I'm trying to be a royal bitch with this (I'm really not!). I just want this website to be successful. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas, anything, email or IM me; I will me more than happy to hear from you! Hope to see you all at the forums!!

By the way, I'm going to be deleting my LiveJournal account. Also, don't be surprised if, over the Christmas break, the site is under maintenance; I'm kind of fiddling around with a few different ideas for the layout of the site.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks yous!!!

**To addmoose2004:** Thanks so much for you review! Dive right into the H/D fics; has some brilliant stuff!! Enjoy!!

**To Slash-Lover:** Thanks so much for your review!! Enjoy!!

**To Ashes of Stars:** ::squeals:: Omgosh, your review was sooooo nice!!! I can't believe you forgot about shopping!! (Impossible in my mind . . .) Hope this chapter measures up to your expectations!!!

**To novalights:** Thanks so much for your review!! I got the lyrics for "Fever" from LetsSingIt .com, a great site for lyrics. I heard the song on the radio once and immediately fell in love with it. You almost got kicked out of computer class?!? Whoa . . . I've never gone on at school. We get monitored to make sure we aren't going on porn sites or whatever, and I definitely don't want them seeing this type of writing. It's a Catholic school, so they'd probably keel over. ;-D Enjoy, dear!!

**To noali:** Thanks for reviewing!!! Here are your answers (and you didn't have to say please at all; I always answer m readers' questions): 1. I've never heard of the movie "Striper". I heard the song on the radio one day and fell in love with it, then hen _this_ plot bunny started hopping, I realized it would be the perfect song for chapter 1; 2. I've never seen "A Soldier's Girl", but I think I've heard of it . . .; 3. This is definitely a post-Hogwarts fic. Harry and co. are now teachers at school. Enjoy the new chapter!!

**To Alora:** Don't worry about not reviewing!! It's nice, but not needed!! Yeah, Draco's had somewhat of a hard time (::Draco stares at her incredulously::) Wipe your tears, life is looking up. He's got a hot man!! ::big grin:: Stuff . . . happens. ::bigger grin:: Enjoy the chapter, m'dear!!!

**To hplover:** O.O ::falls on the floor, rolling around, laughing her head off:: Omgosh, I do believe that is the first time ever I've been told I should write adult novels . . . ::wipes eyes:: Well, thank you for that. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I'm not sure a 16-year-old adult author would go over too well with the general community . . . Might be worth it, though, just to see the state of collective apoplexy it'd get . . .

**To chronoclockvii:** Thanks so much for your review; it was so nice!!! Enjoy chapter 8!!!

**To DemonRogue13:** Thanks so much for your review!! Enjoy the chapter!!

**To Hell's Angel-Heaven's Demon:** ::grumbles:: Yeah, sorry, I've been massively busy lately. Did you really have me up there for LotR?? Funny how life turns out . . . Anyway, I'm so glad you like the fic so far!! Harry is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. I'll post a longer list of new teachers below. About Draco, he's had a rough few years. Early on, he tried to fight back and defend himself and it just got him a massive beating every time. Eventually he just gave up on fighting back. Now that he's with Harry, however, he should regain some of his lost confidence. Now I have an order for you: NEVER ever say "no offense". I never take offense from a review because it's constructive. The only way I would ever take offense is if someone _attacked_ my stories, saying this is wrong and that is wrong and yada yada yada. And even then I'd probably only get a little peeved . . . Okay, thanks soooo much again for the review and enjoy the chapter!!!

**To NiimuraYume:** ::big tears:: Yes, yes, poor Draco!! Thanks for the review, though!!! Enjoy chapter 8, m'dear!!!

Chapter 8

Harry opened an eye blearily and saw Draco smiling softly at him.

"Good morning," Draco murmured, taking Harry's hand and pulling him onto the bed next to him.

"Is it?" Harry mumbled, lacing his fingers with Draco's.

"Well, that depends on how you look at it," the blonde explained. "We're both safe and relatively healthy –" He reached out and gently poked Harry's black eye.

"Ouch!"

Draco grinned. "– And we have each other. I think that constitutes as a good morning. On the other hand, in two days, these halls will be filled with screaming teenagers, if I remember correctly," he continued. Harry groaned.

"You do," he agreed, burying his face in the crook of Draco's neck. "And you had to remind me." Draco grinned and kissed Harry's cheek.

"Of course I did, love," he replied. As Harry lifted his head and glared at him, Madam Pomfrey walked in.

"Harry Potter, I do _not_ see you sitting on Mr. Malfoy's bed in those dirty clothes!" she barked, furious. Guiltily, Harry scrambled off the bed and into his chair.

"Never, Madam Pomfrey," he replied cheekily, grinning winsomely at her. She frowned at him as she bustled over to Draco, checking on various different things. Finally, she pulled away, retrieved a small vial of blue potion, and handed it to Draco.

"Drink that. It'll prevent any pain or scarring," she told him. The blonde nodded and emptied the vial into his mouth. He sputtered as the foul taste invaded his senses.

"Merlin, I've forgotten how vile your potions are, Madam Pomfrey," Draco told her, still coughing.

"Stop being ridiculous. And call me Poppy. If we're going to be working together, we might as well treat each other as equals." She handed him two more vials and placed her hands on her hips. "Now, take one of these vials before you go to bed tonight and when you wake up in the morning, then come see me. You are free to go, but for Merlin's sake, be careful. I don't want to see you back in here anytime soon unless you're checking on a student, _either_ of you," she instructed them sternly.

"Thank you, Poppy," Harry murmured. Poppy's firm expression melted and she smiled back at him. She turned and disappeared into her office. Harry looked at Draco and smiled. "Ready to leave?"

Draco grinned. "Let's go." Harry pulled him out of bed and into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's bare waist and pulled him close. Draco slipped his hands behind Harry's neck and aligned their bodies together, exploring is mouth fully and completely.

"You know, you're a very complicated person," Harry said to him when they broke apart.

"I told you, I come with baggage," Draco whispered, looking away. "You don't have to stay."

"I want to." Harry's firm statement brought Draco's gaze back to his. "I told you already, I want to be with you, despite your past and a raving lunatic trying to kill you. "You've got to remember, I've got a few of those myself."

Draco chuckled wryly and leaned in to capture Harry's lips in a kiss.

"Thank you," the blonde murmured against Harry's lips. The Defense professor grinned and hugged him tightly."

"Why haven't you two left yet? I would have though you'd want to get out of here as soon as possible," Madam Pomfrey asked, bustling into the room and puttering around with her potions cabinet, restocking several different potions.

"We were just getting ready to leave," Harry replied. Poppy smiled at him and turned back to the cabinet. Harry handed Draco his robes and, once the blonde had pulled them on, they headed out of the hospital wing. Somewhere in the castle, a clock gonged, signaling noon.

"Why don't we drop these potions off in our flat and then go down to the Great Hall for lunch?" Harry suggested.

"Yeah, okay," Draco replied. They made the quick detour and set the vials on an end table in the bedroom. They then hurried down to the Great Hall and sat down opposite Ron and Hermione at the High Table.

"Well, hello, you two," she greeted. "How are you feeling, Draco?"

"Better," he replied. "Madam Pomfrey's a miracle worker."

"Harry knows that better than anyone," Ron snickered. His only reply was a roll hitting his forehead.

"Play nicely, children," Hermione cut in calmly.

The rest of lunch passed with playful banter between the four and the other teachers, ending in Dean extending an invitation for a friendly Quidditch match later on in the afternoon. Harry and Draco immediately and enthusiastically agreed. The group then split up to head to their respective classrooms. Harry accompanied Draco to the dungeons.

"Merlin, I always hated this place," the blonde murmured as they paused in the doorway.

"Really? You did?" Harry asked, turning to him in surprise.

"Yeah. I mean, I loved Potions, but I hated this room. Too bloody gloomy," he replied, starting into the room and heading straight for the windows. "Care to give me a hand?" he asked, looking back at him. Harry followed Draco to one of the windows and grabbed one side of the heavy black curtains while Draco took hold of the other and pulled. The black coverings fell away, taking the two professors with them. The curtains landed on top of the two, cutting out all light. Harry reached out, trying to find either Draco or the edge of the curtains.

"Harry?" came the whispered call.

"Right here."

"I can't see anything, you great bloody prick," Draco retorted, his voice growing closer. Harry laughed and reached his hand out. This time he felt soft skin. He grinned to himself and pulled Draco to him, their lips crashing together in a fiery kiss.

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, their tongues battling for dominion. Harry pushed Draco to the ground and won the battle, ravaging the blonde's mouth, Draco sank into the kiss and welcomed him. Harry pulled back and tugged gently at Draco's lower lip, eliciting a moan. Harry grinned and moved to place light, feathery kisses along his jaw and the underside of his chin. Draco moaned again, a throaty sort of sound, and threaded his fingers through the ex-Gryffindor's hair.

"Harry . . . Harry, wait," Draco panted. Harry immediately pulled away and only by the hot puffs of breath did Draco know Harry was just inches away.

"What's wrong? Am I hurting you?" he asked worriedly. Draco smiled and reached up, placing a warm hand on Harry's cheek.

"No, love," he whispered, punctuating his words with a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, feeling Harry's lips curve into a smile. "I just don't think that we should be doing this under the curtains that Snape might have . . ."

Harry's smile fell away and Draco felt a shudder ripple through him.

"Oh. Oh, no. Oh, we need to get out of here, now," Harry muttered, crawling around. Draco laughed and set off after him. Harry found the edge of the curtains and held it up, enabling Draco to crawl out. Harry pulled him up and into a hug.

"You do realize you've scarred me for life, yeah?" he mumbled into Draco's hair. The blonde laughed and kissed him quickly.

"Well, I'm terribly sorry."

"You know, I'm not sure I can touch these curtains now," Harry stated, looking around the room.

"And that's why we're wizards," Draco replied, flourishing his new wand. Harry grinned and pulled out his own, then looked at it.

"Why didn't we use Lumos to help us find our way from underneath that thing in the first place?" he mused.

"Who knows? Maybe we find crawling around on a dirty floor underneath a disgusting curtain fun," Draco replied absently as he levitated a curtain away from a window.

They set out removing the curtains from the walls and dumping them into a communal pile. They finished their work rather quickly and stepped back to admire the results.

"What . . . has happened to my classroom?" came a sour drawl from the doorway. Harry and Draco pun around and saw Severus Snape standing in the threshold of the room. He was staring around at the sunlight streaming in the thrown-open windows with obvious distaste.

"Wotcher, Severus," Harry greeted, grinning. "I'd like you to meet the new Potions –"

"I _know_ who Mr. Malfoy is, thank you, Mr. Potter," Severus interrupted unpleasantly. "What I'd _like_ to know is what in Merlin's name has happened to my classroom?!"

"Well, you see, Severus, I thought the classroom was much too dark and Harry's been helping me lighten it up," Draco explained cheerily. Severus' eyes darkened angrily and he advanced on the blonde. Harry leapt in front of him and pushed the Potions master back.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Harry warned him, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Harry . . ." Draco lightly touched Harry's arm. Harry turned and looked at the blonde. "I think we're finished in here, Severus. We'll see you later." He grabbed Harry's arm and tugged him out of the classroom.

"Draco, he was threatening you!" Harry defended his actions before the blonde has a chance to say a word.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Draco cried, throwing his hands into the air.

"Oh. Well . . . never mind then." They realized it was nearly time for the Quidditch match Dean had set up and headed down to the locker rooms.

To divide up the teams evenly, they had decided on one team wearing purple and black armbands and the other wearing white and red. They divvied up the "uniforms" and of course Harry and Draco were split up onto different teams – that's the way life at Hogwarts works! They donned their protective gear and everyone set off towards the broom shed in a massive bunch. They could see several of the elder teachers, including Dumbledore and McGonagall, were settling in the stands, eager to watch the faculty match. The teams piled into the broom shed as they retrieved their broom. Draco was astonished to find his old Nimbus 2001 still intact and at the school.

"Madam Hooch had found a bunch of brooms lying around the castle in various states of repose and after conducting tests looking for hexes, jinxes, and curses – and finding none – she added them to the broom collection," Ginny explained to him as he ran a hand across the lettering. "Keep it; it was yours, after all."

He grinned at her in thanks and looked at Harry as the others started out of the shed.

"You look good," Harry murmured, smiling at him.

"Thanks." Harry smiled again and leaned in, his mouth right next to Draco's ear.

"And damn hot in your Quidditch gear, I might add," Harry did add, and in a _very_ growling, throaty voice, too. He tugged at Draco's earlobe and gave him a fierce kiss before leaping onto his broom and flying off. Draco stood, shocked and alone in the broom shed, as he felt his pants tightening, his memory replaying Harry's voice and the kiss. He had known that would make Draco distracted. Draco grumbled as he mounted his broom and kicked off. Bastard.

Author's Notes: Okay, I officially hate myself. This chapter sucked. _And_ it was crazily short!!!! I _promise_ to make it up to you guys in the next chapter. Also, this chapter was unbetaed, as her dad picked her up way early. A betaed version will be posted as soon as I get it from her. Ahhh, so glad to see so many people sign up for my site. A grand total of . . . me. Make me happy, people, and offer your work for my pathetic little site??? Site: www .ladyofthehearts .com; email: twitchyferret11403 yahoo .com (minus all the spaces, of course). Send me stuff!!!!!

And a contest!!! Whoever can give me the title and artist of this song gets a little sneak peek at the next chapter as soon as I have a cookie ready!!!

"_He was a major in archaeology; I was diggin' on him, but he wasn't on me . . ."_

Happy New Year, my darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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